Waleed Mahmoud is a guest researcher and junior supervisor at the Kalshoven-Gieskes Forum on International Humanitarian Law at Leiden University. Waleed is an Egyptian criminal defense lawyer and the founder of the Legalist Research Institute. He obtained his L.L.B (2013) and L.L.M (2015) from AinShams University in Cairo, Egypt and has recently pursued an LL.M. in Legal Research at Utrecht University (2020), where he specialized in IHL, IHRL and ICL.

Waleed firmly believes that practical research-oriented education is key in the domain of international law. In Egypt, next to his legal practice, he instructed advocacy and research skills in international law at academic legal centers and Egyptian universities such as AinShams University, the American University and Cairo University. He continues to do so now virtually via his platform The Legalist, for which he was awarded the UU Social Impact Award of 2019. Waleed also helps establishing national initiatives aimed at improving legal skills of Egyptian students such as the ACC, a moot court simulation of the ICC; and contributes to international practical education by acting as either a coach, judge or organizer in international moot courts such Oxford Price Media Law, Jessup, Telders, ICCMC.