Hélène Michou is a researcher at FRIDE, specifically within the MENA area. Prior to joining FRIDE, she worked for the The Yemen Observer in Sana'a and the UNHCR in Damascus. She has a BA (Joint Hons) in International Relations and Arabic from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom; and will be taking up an MA place at King's College London to study Conflict, Security and Development. 

At FRIDE, she works with regional experts in the Gulf, the Levant and Northern Africa, contributing to their analyses of EU policy trends in their respective areas. Her research interests include civil society, democracy assistance, governance, authoritarian regimes, political Islam and regional politics of the Middle East.