Dara Waheda Mohd Rufin is the Senior Manager, Research at IDEAS Malaysia. She supports and contributes to research under the Resilient Democracy, Accountable Governance and Inclusive Society pillars, with a focus on law, public policy and institutional governance.

She is an advocate and solicitor with more than two decades of legal practice experience. Her professional background includes constitutional and human rights law, legal reform, regulatory compliance and policy research. Prior to joining IDEAS, she led advocacy, legal services and research work within civil society, involving policy development, stakeholder engagement and collaboration with Parliament and government agencies.

Dara holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB Hons) from Universiti Malaya and a Master of Laws (Commercial Law) from the same university.