Mohammad Kanfash is a PhD-candidate at the Center for Conflict Studies at Utrecht University, where he also held research and teaching positions earlier. The focus of his research is on State-Society relations in post-conflict areas in Syria and the role of local intermediaries and brokers in the process of 'State return' and reconstruction. He also focuses on sanctions and their impact on humanitarian operations as well as on food security and access to water and health. 

He is a lecturer on the Politics of Reconstruction at the minor Conflict Studies and the Politics of Violence of the History Bachelor.

Mohammad worked previously as an independent researcher and consultant conducting research for, among others, the London School of Economics, Tufts University, and the Independent Commission of Inquiry into Non-Lethal Assistance (NLA) Programme. Among others, the focus of his work was on the relations between Starvation and political economy of conflict in Syria and the Dutch intervention in the Syrian conflict. Before that, he worked for over a decade as a protection officer for the UN refugee agency in Syria, Egypt, and the Netherlands with a particular focus on aslyum, complementary pathways and integration.

He is a member of the Contesting Governance platform. Mohammad is also a member of the advisory board of Justice and Peace's SamenHier initiative.

Mohammad is a trainer on Humanitarian Negotiations and Humanitarian Access with the Clingendael academy.

Mohammad is the Founder of Damaan Humanitarian Organization.