Biography

Saba Waheed is the director of the UCLA Labor Center. She has over two decades of experience working with community partners to advance worker-centered policy and research. She has led more than 40 studies across a variety of industries, including domestic work, nail salons, retail, and restaurants. Grounded in the “research justice” framework, Saba’s approach ensures that workers most affected by inequities play a central role in shaping the research that represents them. She has developed and taught courses and workshops that equip students, workers, and community leaders with applied research skills. She co-teaches the UCLA Labor Studies course Labor Summer Research Program, training students on methods through an applied research project that focuses on the experience of workers and learners. Through her teaching, scholarship, and public engagement, she bridges academic research with community-based action, helping to prepare the next generation of labor and social justice leaders.

Saba is also deeply committed to community storytelling as a powerful tool for narrative change and is an award-winning writer and audio producer, co-hosting the podcast Re:Work. She currently serves on the LA City Workforce Development Board and the Pilipino Worker Center board. Prior to UCLA, Saba worked as the Research Director at DataCenter and as a researcher at the Urban Justice Center. She holds an MA in Anthropology from Columbia University and a BA in English and Religious Studies from UC Berkeley.

Courses Taught

LBR STD 194A and 194B: Labor Summer Research Program: Workers and Learners in Los Angeles County