Peace News Expert Network

Kristian Åtland is a Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI) and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Nord University.

Kristine Höglund is Professor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden.

Kyoko Kusakabe is a professor at the Gender and Development Studies (GDS) program at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

Dr.Lakshmi Priya is a Research Fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi. She has a Ph.D. in West Asian Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi and her doctoral thesis was on “Status of Women in Syria under Hafiz al-Assad, 1970-2000.” The thesis deals with the role of the Syrian state in empowering women during Hafiz al Assad’s rule. She wrote her M.Phil dissertation on “India’s Relations with Syria, 1991-2008.” Her research interests include domestic and foreign policy of Syria, Indo-Gulf relations and gender and feminist discourse in the Middle East. Before joining ICWA, she was a researcher with the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi, as well as Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, and has also worked at the Office of the Cultural Attaché, Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, New Delhi. She has also worked as an editor for Delhi-based Arihant Publishers. Dr. Priya has a Masters in Arabic from the School of Languages in JNU and is fluent in three languages – English, Hindi and Arabic. In addition to West Asian studies, she has an interest in international relations and political theory. She has published three research articles including on the legitimacy of the Baath in Syria and the Gramscian idea of “cultural hegemony” that appeared in the prestigious social science journal – Social Action. Her other research paper on Galtung’s idea of “positive peace” in the Syrian context was published in Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. The third on feminist discourses in Syria was published in Journal of West Asian Studies and is part of recommended reading for undergraduate curriculum in University of Bern, Switzerland. She regularly contributes articles and commentaries on contemporary developments in the Middle East. Her latest writings can be accessed here.

Dr. Laurence L. Delina is a Filipino scholar from Mindanao, specializing in climate and society. He serves as an assistant professor in the Division of Environment and Sustainability at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Madeline Rose is the senior global advocacy adviser for Mercy Corps and an advocacy trainer with Wellstone Action.

Margarita Tadevosyan is a Research Assistant Professor at Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution and the Executive Director of the Center of Peacemaking Practice. She is a scholar-practitioner of conflict resolution with a geographic concentration in the countries of the South Caucasus and post-Soviet spaces. As a practitioner, she has over a decade of experience in designing, convening, and facilitating Track II dialogue workshops, and has expertise in program design and evaluation, local–international coordination and complementarity, and civil society engagement for conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Her practical work in collaboration with Dr. Susan Allen has been supported by the US Department of State, European Union, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Swiss MFA, UN and other major donors.

Markus Bayer is a Ph.D. student and research fellow at the University of Duisburg Essen’s Chair of International Relations and Development Policy.

Maryna Rabinovych works as a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the UiT the Arctic University of Norway as a Post-Doctoral Researcher, focusing on the consequences of the Russia’s war against Ukraine for municipalities in Arctic Norway. Her previous post-doctoral project, titled “Lowering the bar? – Compliance Negotiations and the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement”, was funded by the Research Council of Norway and implemented at the University of Agder. She holds a PhD (magna cum laude) in Legal Studies from the University of Hamburg, an LL.M “European and European Legal Studies” from the University of Hamburg and Eropa-Kolleg Hamburg, as well as an LL.B from Odesa National University. 

https://www.uia.no/en/kk/profile/marynar

Mathias Hatleskog Tjønn holds an MPhil in Modern International and Transnational History from the University in Oslo (2019) and is now a PhD Fellow affiliated with the NORMS-project at the Institute for Social Research in Oslo, Norway. He has previously worked as a research assistant at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) and is interested in migrant return policies, migration, colonial history and European contemporary history.

Matthew I. Mitchell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada.

Meagan Doll is a postdoctoral research associate in the Minnesota Journalism Center at the Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Meagan studies news production and consumption, with particular interest in how news media shape civic attitudes and behaviors in non-democratic contexts. Meagan uses both qualitative and quantitative methods and has international fieldwork experience in Uganda and Rwanda. A journalist by training, Meagan completed her Ph.D. and M.A. in Communication at the University of Washington and received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication, with certificates in African studies and global health. 

Melanie Greenberg is the former CEO of Alliance for Peacebuilding and is a leader in the peace-building and conflict resolution field.

Milton Arteaga has been a consultant in public, private and international cooperation organizations on topics concerning the transformation of human relationships in Colombia for the past ten years. He has participated in the design, research, evaluation, systematization and implementation of projects on peacebuilding and community, teacher training, cultural transformation, education, conflict resolution, negotiation, culture and organizational well-being, collaborative work. He has extensive teaching experience in Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees education. He holds a business degree from University of South Florida and an MBA from Boston University.  He also holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Biology from the Matriztica School of Santiago de Chile. He believes in participative, dialogical and systemic approaches, focused on ethical relationships that facilitate recognition, autonomy and trust among people who live in different and equally valid multiverses.

Dr. Moosa Elayah is an Associate Professor in International Development, Peacebuilding and Conflict Studies, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies (Qatar). Investigating the role of the nonviolent actors in a violent situation is his active research agenda, focusing on Yemen, Syria, and Libya but also looking at many examples of other conflicted countries. He is the author of the book “Europe and the MENA Region – Media Reporting, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding” Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022.

Mora Deitch is a Ph.D. candidate at the Political Studies Department of Bar-Ilan University, a Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), and a Neubauer Research Associate at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). Mora’s research focuses on the influence of religion on politics and conflicts.

Nadia Farabiis a lecturer in the Department of International Relations at Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia. She recently completed her PhD in the School of Government and International Relations at Griffith University, Australia, supported by the prestigious Australia Awards Scholarship. Her academic focus lies in conflict and peace studies, with a strong interest in understanding domestic issues in Indonesia through the lens of International Relations.

Since her undergraduate studies, Nadia has been consistently engaged in humanitarian issues, exploring the complexities of social and political dynamics in Indonesia. Her research often bridges theory and practice, providing insights into real-world challenges and solutions.

Her most recent publication,Addressing the Challenges of Heresy in Peacebuilding: Evidence from the Ahmadiyya and Shia in Indonesia(2024), examines the intricate intersections of religion, conflict, and peacebuilding in one of the world’s most diverse societies. This work highlights her commitment to investigating underexplored dimensions of conflict resolution and advocating for inclusive approaches to peace.

Nadia Payo holds a Ph.D. in Conflict and Peace from Universiti Sains Malaysia and is currently a lecturer in Political Science at Yala Rajabhat University. She specializes in conflict resolution and peacebuilding, with research focusing on governance and economic recovery in conflict-affected areas, particularly in Southern Thailand. Her current projects include exploring the role of youth in fostering resilience and promoting peace in conflict-affected communities. She has also contributed to several studies examining the interplay between development policies and local community resilience. You can reach her via https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadia-payo/

Natalia Dalmer is a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Political Science at Leibniz University Hannover. Her most recent book Building Environmental Peace: The UN Environment Programme as a Knowledge Actor was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2022.

Natasha Robinson works to bridge the gap between those who design education policies and programmes, and those who benefit from them.

My training in anthropology has equipped me to understand people on their own terms, while my background in educational research has driven my interest in how and what people learn. I bring together qualitative and quantitative data to help reimagine educational excellence and equality, particularly in low-income countries.

To date my experience has focused on social cohesion, teacher education, curriculum development, higher education, academic publishing, and the experiences of young people. My PhD dissertation explored how history education shapes students' understanding of contemporary social problems in South Africa. I have worked in both research and programme design in diverse contexts, including the UK, South Africa, Nigeria, India, Myanmar, Denmark, the USA, China, and Sierra Leone.

I seek opportunities to expand this experience on issues relating to young people and social justice.

Dr. Nerkez Opacin is a Senior Research Fellow in Nature and People at the University of  Melbourne, where he investigates how nature-based interventions and community-led intiatives can enhance social connection, wellbeing, and resilience in societies affected by  crises. 

His research combines social psychology, anthropology, peacebuilding, environmental  health, and participatory action research. His work often centres on young people, marginalised communities, and the everyday spaces where change quietly begins — through  dialogue, shared experiences in nature, and encounters across social and cultural  boundaries. 

Nerkez has conducted extensive multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork across Southeast Europe and Australia. He currently co-leads several nature-based social prescribing projects, including the EU-funded RECETAS initiative in Melbourne. His research has been published in  international journals, such as the International Journal of Educational Development, Wellbeing, Space & Society, and the British Journal of Social Psychology. 

Nerkez is committed to making research accessible and practical for communities,  practitioners, and policymakers. His work consistently highlights the voices of those who are  one unheard, demonstrating how small human interactions can create opportunities for  belonging, healing, and peace. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerkezopacin/

Nicholas Noe is the co-Founder of Mideastwire.com, a news translation service covering Middle East media.

Pablo Molina Asensi was a Freelancer and Grants Manager for Peace News Network from August 2024 to June 2025. He earned his M.A. in Global Communication from George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs in 2024, concentrating in Conflict and Conflict Resolution. He also graduated from The American University's School of International Service in 2022, with concentrations in Peace, Global Security, and Conflict Resolution in addition to Global Inequality and Development. Pablo is particularly interested in issues of human rights and refugee policy. He has carried out research into the situation of DRC refugees in Uganda and has written extensively about Western Sahara.

As a research associate at the Africa Center, Paul Nantulya researches and prepares written analysis on contemporary Africa security issues. His areas of expertise include Chinese foreign policy, China/Africa relations, African partnerships with Southeast Asian countries, mediation and peace processes, the Great Lakes region, and East and Southern Africa.

Prior to joining the Africa Center, Mr. Nantulya served as a regional technical advisor on South Sudan for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) from 2009 to 2011, where he supported crisis mitigation for the Government of South Sudan including writing policy analyses for the Ministry of Peace and Comprehensive Peace Agreement Implementation. In this role he worked closely with South Sudan’s external partners, particularly Japan’s International Cooperation Agency, on conflict prevention.

Dr. Philipp Busch is a game designer, author and international keynote speaker. In spring 2018 Busch finished his doctoral thesis on “Gamification and Serious Games in Development Cooperation”. He teaches game-based approaches and agile methods at the University of Mainz, Germany and is a certified Scrum Master and Design Thinking Coach. He has worked for several years in the sector of international cooperation with a specific focus on Gamification, Serious Games and interactive digital learning scenarios. In 2020, Busch started his own consultancy working in close cooperation with different actors of international cooperation. His company Mind Games GmbH supports institutions such as the ILO, ETUI, FES or GIZ on implementing innovative learning scenarios in heterogeneous contexts, for instance Yemen, China, Afghanistan and a variety of African countries.

Pol Bargués is research fellow at CIDOB (Barcelona Center for International Affairs), Barcelona, Spain. His research examines war-peace transitions and the evolution of international interventions. He is Editor in Chief of theJournal of Intervention and Statebuilding

Quhramaana Kakar manages Conciliation Resources’ Women Mediators across the Commonwealth program, and is a former adviser to the High Peace Council of Afghanistan.

Rabina Shresthais the Country Director of International Alert Nepal. She is a gender equality, justice, peacebuilding and rule of law expert with extensive experience working on human rights, transitional justice, media rights and rule of law in Nepal.

Professor Dr. Rafiqul Islam is a distinguished expert in the fields of migration and conflict studies. He is a faculty member in the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. His academic background includes training in political science, peace and conflict studies, and environmental security. His research interests are deeply focused on critical issues in South Asia, including statelessness in the Bengali borderlands and the sustainable management of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Professor Islam is also a skilled researcher who employs quantitative and field-based methods, as demonstrated by his co-authored work on community relations and violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. His work bridges academic inquiry and pressing real-world problems, aiming to inform policy and build sustainable peace. Email:islampacs@du.ac.bd.

Raihan A. Yusoph is a faculty member in the History Department at Mindanao State University–Marawi City, Philippines. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the International Peace and Coexistence Program at Hiroshima University in Japan as a MEXT (Monbukagakusho) Scholar of the Japanese Government. He has presented research at international conferences across Asia, Europe, and North Africa. His research focuses on Bangsamoro studies, peace and conflict studies, and biographical studies, with publications in Scopus-indexed, peer-reviewed international books, and journals.