As a program analyst at United States Institute of Peace, Aleena Khan developed and oversaw partnerships with think tanks, civil society organisations, social start-ups, human rights activists, education and gender experts, and youth networks working towards building a more tolerant, peaceful and inclusive Pakistan. Over her two year tenure at USIP, she directly supervised the design and execution of 21 projects worth $1 million with partners across Pakistan.

Khan joined USIP after working for three years in research, advocacy, and community engagement at Alif Ailaan, a political advocacy campaign for education reforms in Pakistan. As community engagement manager, she led a team of 42 education champions who spearheaded education campaigns in 155 national constituencies during Pakistan’s 2018 general elections.

Khan has a degree in public administration from the National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad. Currently, she is pursuing her Masters in Comparative Social Research at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Her notable contributions in research include the Pakistan District Education Rankings 2016 Report, which was published by Alif Ailaan and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute. Khan’s key research and policy interests include education, women's rights and social inclusion.