Background and experience
Ahmed Gamal is a PhD Research Fellow in Information Systems and a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellow in the Horizon Europe AGORA Network. He studies how gamification in the metaverse and extended reality (XR) can sustain user engagement and create business value. He has a background in economics and more than ten years of university teaching in Egypt, Germany and Lebanon.
Education
- PhD in Information Systems, University of Agder (expected 2027)
- MSc in Economics, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Lebanese American University
Previous experience
- Policy and Advocacy Economist, Transparency International, Berlin, Germany
- Senior Economic Consultant, AI Economics, Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, Egypt
- Assistant Lecturer in Economics, The British University in Egypt
- Research Assistant, Carnegie Middle East Center, Beirut
Academic service
- Reviewer for Information Technology for Development, Journal of Enterprise Information Management and International Journal of Emerging Markets
- Editorial Assistant, Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, Emerald Publishing (2019–2024)
Teaching
Has taught economics, econometrics and innovation courses at Philipps-Universität Marburg, The British University in Egypt, and The Lebanese American University.
Research
Research interests: gamification in immersive environments, human-centred and responsible digital innovation.
Selected publications
- Gamal, A. (2026). Gamification in the metaverse for business value: A systematic literature review. Journal of Enterprise Information Management. doi:10.1108/JEIM-06-2025-0560
- Gamal, A., Mahmoud, M., Rizou, S., & Vassilakopoulou, P. (2026). Multi-level tensions in metaverse gamification: Evidence from practitioners. EMCIS 2026, Springer LNBIP (in press).
- Ahmed, F. E., & Mohamed, A. G. (2025). Political patronage, and banks' profitability in Bahrain. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 23(3). doi:10.1108/JFRA-04-2022-0118