Peace News Expert Network

Roselyne Omondi is a conflict and peace expert and a skilled researcher-writer-editor with broad social science and humanities backgrounds. She is adept at working at the intersection of research, and policy; communication, journalism, and media; international development; and humanitarian action. While her recent work has focused on the greater Horn of Africa region, she has a good grasp of current affairs, and a global outlook. Her research interests span, inter alia, armed conflict, peace, forced migration, food insecurity, pastoralism, terrorism, geopolitics, climate change, and development. She has excellent project management, conflict mapping, media analysis skills, and strategic crisis communication skills. Different research, media, and international development entities have featured her work.

Roselyne holds Erasmus Mundus Master of Art degree in Journalism, Media and Globalization- War and Conflict Specialization (Denmark and United Kingdom); Erasmus Mundus Master of Arts degree in International Humanitarian Action – Comprehensive Security Specialization (the Netherlands); a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and English Language (Kenya); and several other post-graduate qualifications including: Peace and Conflict Research (University of Oslo and PRIO, Norway), Terrorism Theory and Practice (the Netherlands), Advanced Field Safety and Security (Germany and Kenya), and Advanced Grammar (the UK). She was, until recently (November 2022), the Associate Director, Research, at the HORN Institute, and is set to become the Associate Director, Center for Climate Change, Migration, and Development, at the Institute.

Saepudin Mashuriis an Associate Professor and dean for the Faculty of Education and Teacher Training at the State Islamic University of Datokarama Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. His studies focused on multicultural Islamic education, religious moderation, and cross-cultural studies. At his campus, he teaches bachelor, master, and doctoral students on multicultural religious education and moderate Islam studies. Collaborating with LeimenaInstituteInstitut, he educates cross-cultural religious literacy for religious teachers in Eastern Indonesia's elementary and junior-senior high schools. He is also a trainer for a religious moderation program to build religious harmony in Indonesia. He researches the development of peacebuilding in conflict areas such as Poso and multi-ethnic schools. He has published several research results related to his studies, such as Spiritual Base of Pesantren for Building Multicultural Awareness In Indonesia Context. Jurnal Ilmiah ISLAM FUTURA, Vol. 24. No. 1, February 2024, 1-20. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v24i1.17141. The building sustainable peace through multicultural religious education in the contemporary era of Poso, Indonesia. Cogent Education, 2024-12-31 DOI:10.1080/2331186X.2024.2389719

Dr. Saliba Sarsar is a Professor of Political Science at Monmouth University and President/CEO of the Jerusalem Peace Institute. His teaching and scholarly interests focus on the Middle East, Palestinian-Israeli affairs, Jerusalem, and peacebuilding. Among his authored books are Peacebuilding in Israeli-Palestinian Relations(2020) and Jerusalem: The Home in Our Hearts(2018). His edited books include The Holy Land Confederation as a Facilitator for the Two-State Solution (2022) and What Jerusalem Means to Us: Christian Perspectives and Reflections(2018). His most recent co-edited books are Democracy in Crisis Around the World (2020); Continuity and Change in Political Culture: Israel and Beyond (2020), and What Jerusalem Means to Us: Muslim Perspectives and Reflections(2021).

Dr. Sarsar is also a peace advocate and a public speaker. He is the co-Founder and President/ CEO of the Jerusalem Peace Institute, a non-profit that highlights Jerusalem as humanity’s shared gift as central for a just peace.

Samer Abboud is Associate Professor of Global Interdisciplinary Studies at Villanova University and the author of the book Syria (Polity, 2018).

Sanda Thant is the director of the Socio-Economic and GenderResourceInstitute (SEGRI).

Sawssan Abou-Zahr is a Lebanese journalist, editor and consultant. She covers issues related to  Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Sean is a NUAcT Fellow based at Newcastle Law School. Focused on children’s rights, Sean is currently working on a project on children’s rights in societies attempting to transition from conflict to peace. This work covers multiple areas of interest including child soldiers, child participation in peace processes, peace agreements and children, children and constitutional reform and children and transitional justice.

Shabir Hussain is a peace academic based in Islamabad, Pakistan. He has published extensively on the current practices of conflict coverage in Pakistan and devising peace-oriented media strategies for constructive reporting. He can be reached at shasain2@gmail.com.

Sheikh Mehzabin Chitra is an anthropologist, human rights advocate, and researcher focused on marginalized communities, displacement, and grassroots peacebuilding. Her work combines ethnographic research with journalism and policy analysis to amplify voices from the margins and examine how everyday practices sustain peace in humanitarian settings.

Silvia Danielak is an Assistant Professor at the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. Her work focuses on socio-spatial planning, especially infrastructure planning, in conflict settings and as part of peace efforts, as well as its coalition with climate and environmental efforts. Her first book on infrastructure building in United Nations peace operations is forthcoming in 2026 with MIT Press. Dr. Danielak is a former USIP Peace Fellow and received her PhD in Urban Planning from MIT.

Spogmai Akseer has over 16 years of experience working in the field of educational development and research in Canada and internationally focusing on gender and conflict. She has worked as a consultant with UNICEF and UNESCO on various educational initiatives to improve educational equity and equality in the Global South, particularly in conflict-affected environments. Recently she supported UNESCO-IIEP in the development of a continental report examining Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the African Union’s Continental Education Strategy for Africa. Previously, Spogmai managed a USAID-funded project to help develop new graduate degree programs, as well as Registrar and professor at the American University of Afghanistan. In these roles, she worked closely with the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan to develop a national quality assurance and accreditation framework, as well as a graduate education policy framework. Presently, Spogmai is working on the implementation and monitoring of the Ministry of Education’s anti-oppression and anti-racism directives across over 250 elementary and secondary schools in Ontario, Canada. She has a PhD in Education and Comparative, International Development Education from the University of Toronto.

Stacey L. Connoughton is an Associate Professor in the Brian Lamb School of Communication and the Director of the Purdue Peace Project.

Stefano Costalliis Full Professor of Political Science at the Department of Political and Social Sciences of the University of Florence. Prior to joining the University of Florence, he worked at the Catholic University of Milan and the Department of Government at the University of Essex, where he is still a Research Fellow at the Michael Nicholson Centre for Conflict and Cooperation. He has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Oxford. 

His research interests include civil wars, political violence, peacekeeping, democratization processes, ethnic conflicts, long-term consequences of armed conflict and authoritarianism, political realism, and quantitative methods for political research. His studies have been published in international scientific journals such as British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, International Security, Journal of Peace Research, Political Geography, World Politics.

He has been Associate Editor (2018-2022) and is still a member of the Editorial Board of Political Geography. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of Conflict Management and Peace Science.

Steven Youngblood is the founding director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University in Parkville, USA.

Sylvia Brown is a Conflict Advisor and International Development specialist with twenty years experience advising international non-governmental organisations (INGOs), local civil society organisations, UK government and UN agencies. She has a special interest in the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (Triple) Nexus, Conflict Sensitivity and Peacebuilding.

She is experienced in political economy analysis, conflict analysis and gendered conflict analysis, using primary data collection (including in hard to access areas) as well as secondary data analysis (from academic and 'grey' literature. She has experience applying these skills in Myanmar, Thailand, Pakistan, Kenya, Indonesia and the Philippines. She has a special interest in women and youth in peacebuilding, community-based peacebuilding, local and customary governance and forced migration issues. She is also experienced in organisational development of civil society organisations and am familiar working in conflict-sensitive environments among refugees, multiple power-holders, political upheaval and international humanitarian interventions.

Thursica Kovinthan Levi is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow and lecturer at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. Her current research focuses on trauma-informed pedagogies for integration and reconciliation in refugee education. This research builds on her doctoral dissertation examining the interface between gender, education, and conflict in fragile contexts, focusing on Sri Lanka. She has worked and conducted research in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central America with various NGOs and as a research consultant. Thursica is also an educator with the Toronto District School Board, where she teaches children with refugee experiences. She has worked as an Education Policy Analyst at Global Affairs Canada and Part-time Professor at the Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa. Thursica holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Ottawa and a M.A in Child Studies and Education from OISE.

Tobias Ide is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Murdoch University Perth (Australia) and Specially Appointed Professor for Peace and Sustainability at Hiroshima University (Japan). He received most of his academic training Germany and published widely on the environment, climate, peace and conflict, including in International Security, Journal of Peace Research, and Nature Climate Change. Tobias also frequently works with and consults decision makers, including at the United Nations, the European Union, and NATO.

Ute Kollies is deployed in Mali for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and is the organizer of Mali Football for Peace.

Uzra Zeya is president and CEO of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. She has over two decades of diplomatic experience in Near East, Asian, European, human rights, and multilateral affairs.

Dr. Vachararutai Boontinand is a lecturer at the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies and Director of SHAPE-SEA Program.

Vaiba Kebeh Flomois an outstanding peace and women’s rights activist, community mobilizer, feminist, trauma case worker, and leader, who works to promote the rule of law and to reduce violence amongst community people through training and dialogue. She provides trauma counseling with a key focus on women and youth who experience violence. Her work includes building women’s and community capacities through peace education, and community development to promote equal participation in decision-making processes. She is the co-founder of the Community Women’s Peace Initiative and the Liberian Women Mass Action for Peace, the movement that advocated for an end to the Liberian civil war, law reform, and policy implementation. Ms. Flomo is committed to ensuring that every girl child goes to school; she mentors young women to discover their potential and to take up leadership roles. Ms. Flomo is the Founder of “Kids for Peace”, Rock Hill Community Women’s Peace Council, and presently serves as an Advisor to the Young Women of Substance in District #6, Montserrado County. She continues to work with women and girls on SGBV, VAW, good governance, and economic empowerment through microcredit/village saving initiatives.  

Dr. Vesna Bojicic-Dzelilovic is Senior Research Fellow at LSE IDEAS, and an Associate Fellow of the LSEE Research on South Eastern Europe at the Hellenic Observatory, both at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is Co-director of UN Business and Human Security Initiative at LSE, a research and implementation programme which investigates private sector’s contribution to peace and development in the context of Agenda 2030. She specialises in the political economy of development and conflict, with a particular interest in the business, peace and development nexus, and the role of international aid in transitioning from armed conflict. Her geographic focus and field work is South East Europe and she has also studied from a comparative perspective Afghanistan, Syria and Colombia. Dr Bojicic-Dzelilovic has published in a range of academic journals including Review of International Political Economy, Journal of International Relations and Development, International Feminist Journal of Politics, co-edited six academic book volumes and advised World Bank, European Union, UNDP and national governments. Her latest publication (co-authored) “Assessing Peace and Social Impacts through Local Human Security Business Partnerships” is forthcoming in Business Horizons Journal. She holds PhD in Economics and MA in Development Economics.

Xavier Mathieu is a Lecturer in International Politics at the University of Liverpool (UK). His research focuses on post-colonial legacies in global politics, in particular as they impact past and current notions of sovereignty, international interventions, and identity/difference. His current project explores the way (post)colonial violence opens up spaces of resistance by disrupting the frontiers between ‘us’ and ‘them’.

Yoav Kapshuk is Senior Lecturer at Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, Israel; Head of Israel Studies Unit at the department of Multidisciplinary Studies. Former Visiting Fellow at the LSE Middle East Center, and at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. Dr. Kapshuk focuses on peace research: peacebuilding, peace education, peacemaking and transitional justice, especially about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Israelis and Palestinians relationships. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the Tel-Aviv University (2017). His studies have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals such as Defence and Peace Economics, Israel Law Review, and Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology.