Htet Thiha Zaw is the Education Researcher and Regional Research Director (interim) at the Airbel Impact Lab. With expertise in political economy of education, Thiha's research investigates the impact of state policy on post-independence education outcomes in the Global South. At Airbel, he contributes to and oversees research projects under Education Research in Conflict and Protracted Crisis (ERICC), focusing on Myanmar and Bangladesh. He is also actively involved in IRC's ongoing research activities in Afghanistan under Accessible and Quality Basic Education in Afghanistan project (AQBE). Thiha's research is published or forthcoming at Comparative Political Studies, Comparative Education Review, International Journal of Educational Development, and International Journal of Educational Research, among other venues.

Before joining Airbel, he also worked as a researcher at CUHK and contributed to education policy projects in Iraq, Indonesia, Myanmar (Burma), and Syria. Thiha received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor , and undergraduate degree in economics and finance at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.