Maja Halilovic-Pastuovic

Maja Halilovic-Pastuovic is a Research Assistant Professor at the School of Religion, Theology and Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin (TCD), focusing on radicalization, violent extremism (ethnic, religious, far-right), and segregated education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is a radicalization expert for Western Balkans in the EU's Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) and coordinates the Horizon Europe-funded GEMS project (2023-2026), which examines games as security threats in radicalization. Previously, she led work packages in Horizon 2020 projects PAVE (2020-2023) and PERICLES (2017-2020), and received a Marie Curie Fellowship for the GATED project (2016-2019), studying segregated education's role in youth radicalization in post-conflict Bosnia.

Her academic background includes a PhD in Sociology from TCD (2013) and three years as an Assistant Professor in TCD's Department of Sociology (2012-2015). Her research expertise spans sociology of peace and conflict, radicalization, and transnationalism, with a focus on the Western Balkans, MENA region, and Europe. She teaches courses on sociology of peace and conflict, radicalization, race and ethnicity, and identity.

Her peer-reviewed publications address Bosnian post-refugee transnationalism, the politicization of nationalism in post-Dayton Bosnia, and the interplay between migration, identity, and interculturalism in Ireland. Her work frequently explores the intersection of diaspora communities, state policies, and transnational social dynamics.

Scientific awards and leadership roles include:

• WP Lead in PAVE and PERICLES projects
• Marie Curie Fellowship for GATED
• Irish Research Council Postgraduate Fellowship

She collaborates with international institutions on EU Horizon-funded projects and contributes to policy development for countering violent extremism through community resilience and educational reform.