Ahmed's research focuses on the politics of social policies, social justice and interdisciplinary policy analysis from socio-economic perspective in the Arab region, with a particular emphasis on Gulf studies. His areas of expertise include social protection systems, resilience mechanisms, maternity protection, social inclusion/ exclusion, labour policy transformations, family policies, demography and sustainable development. He also published and coauthored peer-reviewed articles, policy briefs and research reports on issues related to disability protection, social welfare system, housing and family formation/dissolution, work-family balance policies, political economy of international aid, monitoring and evaluation under humanitarian circumstances.