Elisabeth Jean Wood is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University and holds a concurrent professorship at the Santa Fe Institute. Her research focuses on political violence, particularly sexual violence during war, civil war dynamics, and social movements. She is renowned for her work on insurgent transitions in South Africa and El Salvador, as well as her analysis of variation in wartime sexual violence. Wood has authored influential books including Forging Democracy from Below (2000) and Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador (2003). Her recent work examines the Myanmar military's sexual violence against the Rohingya, emphasizing ideological motivations and institutional frameworks. Wood teaches courses on comparative politics, political violence, and qualitative research methods at Yale. She serves on editorial boards for Politics and Society , American Political Science Review , and the Contentious Politics series. Her research emphasizes ethical fieldwork practices and transparency in qualitative studies, addressing challenges in conflict zones. Her work bridges theoretical contributions with policy implications for understanding and preventing conflict-related atrocities.
Mauro Barelli is Professor of International Law at The City Law School, City, University of London. He holds a PhD from Cardiff University and an LLM from the University of Bristol, and has been a faculty member at City since 2009, progressing from Lecturer to Professor in 2024. He teaches Advanced Issues of International Law, International Human Rights Law, and a course on Minority and Indigenous Peoples' Rights. He has held visiting positions at the University of Cambridge (Lauterpacht Centre), Nanjing University, the University of Iceland, and the University of Trento. His research focuses on: Rights of ethno-cultural and indigenous peoples Law on the use of force Chinese perspectives on international law Soft law and normative development Minority rights and litigation His publications include four books and numerous articles in leading journals such as Journal of Conflict and Security Law , Human Rights Quarterly , and Asian Journal of International Law . His recent work analyzes China’s engagement with international law, the UK’s relationship with the ICJ, and the synchronization of biodiversity protection with indigenous rights. Key scientific recognitions include: Higher Education Academy Fellow (since 2012) He is an experienced PhD supervisor, having chaired and served on numerous doctoral committees, including as PhD Programme Director. His advisee Engin Firat is currently a research student at City. He has also served in administrative roles such as Assistant Dean (Research). His expertise has been sought by national governments, parliaments, and international NGOs. He is an active participant in international academic events, particularly through the European China Law Studies Association.
Professor Phil Clark is a Professor of International Politics at SOAS University of London, specializing in conflict and post-conflict issues with a focus on transitional justice, peacebuilding, and reconciliation after mass atrocity in Rwanda, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. He holds a DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and a Bachelor of International Studies from Flinders University. His research focuses on international, national, and community-based responses to mass violence in Central Africa, particularly examining the gacaca community courts in post-genocide Rwanda and the International Criminal Court (ICC). Professor Clark has advised multiple governments (Danish, Sudanese, Swedish, Ugandan, and UK), international organizations (ICC, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda), and NGOs (Human Rights Watch, Crisis Group) on conflict issues in Africa. Professor Clark's work spans several key areas including the History, Politics and Law of the African Great Lakes; Transitional Justice Theory and Practice; the Politics of Violence; Community-Based and Customary Law; Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation; the Politics of International Criminal Justice; Peacebuilding, Security and Post-Conflict Reconstruction; and Moral and Political Philosophy. His approach often combines theoretical analysis with practical fieldwork in post-conflict societies. His publications reveal a consistent focus on the tension between international legal frameworks and local justice mechanisms, particularly examining how post-genocide societies navigate complex reconciliation processes. Over time, his work has evolved from documenting specific cases (like the gacaca courts) to analyzing broader patterns of transitional justice and international criminal law across the African continent. Shortlisted for the Raphael Lemkin Award for best book on genocide and mass violence (for "Distant Justice: The Impact of the International Criminal Court on African Politics") Regular contributor to major media outlets including The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Washington Post, The Guardian, and BBC Frequent media commentator on international news networks including BBC, France 24, Al Jazeera, CNN, and Deutsche Welle Professor Clark has supervised multiple PhD students working on topics related to conflict analysis, women's access to transitional justice, China-Africa relations, and conflict transformation. His current research includes "Intergenerational Justice in Eastern Africa" and "Reframing Justice after Atrocity," which examines justice interactions beyond the linear international-to-national transmission of norms and practices. He has led significant research projects, including serving as technical advisor and co-author of a 2007 UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights project surveying popular perceptions of transitional justice and peacebuilding in northern Uganda. His ongoing work continues to shape academic and policy discussions about justice mechanisms in post-conflict societies.
David Mwambari serves as Associate Professor at KU Leuven's Faculty of Social Sciences within the Unit Leuven International and European Studies (LINES). He leads the ERC-funded TMSS project on Life Narratives of Violence Among Refugees from Africa's Great Lakes Region and holds affiliations with the Oxford Consortium on Human Rights and the Centre for Mediation in Africa at the University of Pretoria. His educational background includes BA/MA in International Relations from United States International University-Africa, MA in Pan-African Studies from Syracuse University, and PhD in History from La Trobe University. He previously held academic positions at King's College London, Ghent University, and United States International University-Africa. Mwambari's research centers on memory studies with emphases on post-genocide Rwanda, colonial durabilities, and refugee narratives. His work examines how cultural memory shapes state formation, peacebuilding, and identity politics through interdisciplinary methodologies blending historical analysis, ethnography, and critical theory. Recent projects investigate vernacular memory practices during crises and the spatial dimensions of post-conflict reconstruction. His scientific contributions include the monograph Navigating Cultural Memory (Oxford University Press, 2023), co-edited volume Beyond History (Rowman & Littlefield, 2020), and editorial roles for Qualitative Research journal and Brill's 'Mobilizing Memory' series. His publications demonstrate evolving focus from leadership studies toward memory politics and decolonial research methodologies. European Research Council (ERC) Grant for TMSS Project Fellow at Churchill College, University of Cambridge African Academic Diaspora Fellow at CODESRIA FWO Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Mwambari actively mentors early-career scholars across Africa, Latin America, and East Asia while contributing to public discourse through Al Jazeera and community projects training history teachers in East Africa. His consultancy work addresses cross-disciplinary challenges in healthcare, education, and security, reflecting his commitment to applied scholarship beyond traditional academic boundaries.
Dr. Valerie Hebert is a Professor of History and Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakehead University, specializing in Holocaust photography, genocide studies, transitional justice, and human rights. She joined Lakehead in 2010 and previously held a SSHRC Post-Doctoral Fellowship at York University. Ph.D., University of Toronto (2006) M.A., McGill University (1999) H.B.A., McGill University (1997) Her research intersects 20th-century European history , legal historiography , and visual analysis , with a focus on post-atrocity justice (Nuremberg, Rwanda) and the role of photography in documenting human rights violations. She has presented internationally at conferences in Canada, the U.S., U.K., and Europe. Dr. Hebert has received multiple fellowships, including from the German Historical Institute , US Holocaust Memorial Museum , and Martin Buber Society . Her SSHRC Insight Grant -funded monograph project Five Shots from Sdolbunow examines Holocaust photography.
Dr. Marco Longobardo is a Reader in International Law (equivalent to Associate Professor) at the University of Westminster's School of Law. He holds a master's degree from the University of Messina (2012) and a PhD from Sapienza University of Rome (2016). In 2023, he served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Trento, University of Messina, and Université Libre de Bruxelles. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His research specializes in Public International Law , with emphasis on International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law, Law of Armed Conflict, and Peacekeeping. Current projects examine military occupation, ICC jurisdiction, and ICJ procedures for community interests. His work is cited by the ICC Prosecutor, UN Special Rapporteurs, and national courts. Longobardo has published monographs with Cambridge University Press and articles in leading journals including the American Journal of International Law and European Journal of International Law . His scholarship analyzes trends in occupation law, IHL compliance, peacekeeping legitimacy, and human rights in conflict zones. Awards & Honors: Paul Reuter Prize (ICRC, 2021) Lieber Prize Honorable Mention (ASIL, 2023) Italian Society of International Law Prize (2021) Rosalyn Higgins Prize (Third Place, 2020) He mentors PhD students in international law topics and serves on editorial boards for the Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies and International Community Law Review . He is a member of the European Society of International Law and International Law Association.
Geraldien von Frijtag Drabbe Kunzel is an Associate Professor at the Department of History and Art History , Utrecht University. Her work focuses on Political History and International and Political History , with expertise in Holocaust Studies , Modern European History , and Colonialism . PhD in History (University of Amsterdam, 1999) on German criminal courts in occupied Netherlands Her research examines political violence , Nazi-occupied Europe , and perpetratorship , including works on Dutch participation in Holocaust by bullets, Dutch-Jewish communities, and local dynamics in occupied territories. She coordinates the Utrecht Seminar of Political History and Perpetratorship in the Context of Mass Violence research group. Key publication trends include: Dutch colonial projects in Nazi-occupied Europe Microhistories of Holocaust experiences Legal complicity in occupied Netherlands Urban resistance and social dynamics Scientific Awards : NWO Aspasia Grant (2015) Gerda Henkel Foundation Grant (2012-2013) Yad Vashem Research Fellowship (2011) USC Shoah Foundation Senior Fellow (2017-2018) She contributes to BMGN - The Low Countries Historical Review , Journal of Genocide Research , and Biografie Bulletin , with recent works on Holocaust in the Netherlands, Dutch East Indies Jewish communities, and postwar memory.
Jo-Marie Burt is an Associate Professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She holds affiliations with the Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Women and Gender Studies, and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) . Her work spans comparative politics, transitional justice, and political violence in Latin America, with a focus on Peru and Guatemala. Education: Ph.D. in Political Science, Columbia University (1999); B.A., College of the Holy Cross (1986) Burt’s research examines post-conflict accountability, including high-profile trials in Peru (Fujimori) and Guatemala (Ríos Montt). She co-edited Politics in the Andes and authored Silencing Civil Society (2007), which analyzes state and insurgent violence in Peru. A 2011 recipient of Peru’s Award in Merit (Grand Official) , she advocates for victim rights and serves on advisory boards for human rights organizations in Guatemala and Uruguay. Her 15 most recent publications focus on transitional justice, perpetrator prosecutions, gender-based violence, and civil society activism in post-authoritarian regimes. Supported by grants from Fulbright, Open Society, and the MacArthur Foundation, she is completing a book titled In Pursuit of Justice in Post-Genocide Guatemala . Burt also contributes to media outlets like The New York Times and BBC World , blending academic rigor with public engagement. Scientific Awards: Honorable Mention, WOLA-Duke Book Award (2007) Award in Merit (Grand Official), Government of Peru (2011) Burt’s career bridges academia, advocacy, and policy, with a focus on dismantling systems of impunity and advancing human rights through judicial and societal mechanisms.
Professor Rachel Kerr is a leading scholar in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, specializing in transitional justice, international criminal law, and the role of art in post-conflict reconciliation. She co-convenes the War Crimes Research Group and leads the Visual and Embodied Methodologies Network , focusing on intersectional gendered violence. Education: PhD and MA in War Studies from King’s College London; BA in International History and Politics from University of Leeds Research: Explores judicial intervention in the ICTY, Sierra Leone Court, and UK war crime allegations in Iraq; current work bridges art with peacebuilding in Bosnia, Canada, and South Africa Teaching: Courses on Conflict, Rights, and Justice; International Law and the Use of Force; War and Genocide Her AHRC-funded research project Art and Reconciliation: Conflict, Culture and Community (2016-2021) produced interdisciplinary insights into creative peacebuilding. She also leads ESRC research on visual methodologies for gendered violence studies. Awards: Elected to International Institute for Strategic Studies (2001) Elected to Royal Institute for International Affairs (2001) Recent publications analyze art’s role in Bosnian reconciliation, digital data in transitional justice, and Canada’s reconciliation processes. She supervises PhD research on topics spanning UK war crimes, post-conflict education, and atrocity prevention.
Karen E. Smith is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), specializing in EU foreign policy, genocide prevention, and UN multilateralism. She currently leads the Women in Diplomacy project at LSE IDEAS and served as Head of the IR Department (2019-2022). Recent research examines feminist foreign policy analysis, emotional dimensions of EU decision-making, and group politics in UN diplomacy. Her award-winning book Group Politics in UN Multilateralism (2020) won the ACUNS best book prize. She has supervised 21 PhD students to completion, with alumni in academia, international organizations, and government. Current teaching includes the graduate course 'The EU in the World'. Education: PhD (LSE), MA (Johns Hopkins SAIS). Key Awards: ACUNS Book Award (2020), Anna Lindh Award (2007), Royal Society of Arts Fellowship (2016) Grants: EU-funded network on EU-UN relations (2016-2019)
Brenna Bhandar is an Associate Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, University of British Columbia, specializing in property law, critical theory, colonial legal history, and critical race feminism. Previously, she was a Reader in Law and Critical Theory at SOAS, University of London, and held faculty positions at Queen Mary School of Law, Kent Law School, and the University of Reading Law School. She has also held visiting appointments at L'École des hautes études en science sociales (Paris) and Stellenbosch University Faculty of Law (South Africa). BA (Hons.) in South Asian Studies and History from University of Toronto (1996) LLB from UBC (1999) PhD from Birkbeck School of Law, University of London (2007) Professor Bhandar's research focuses on the intersections of property law, critical theory, race, gender, and colonialism. Her work examines how property laws and processes of racialization are intertwined within colonial and post-colonial contexts. She is particularly interested in the historical and contemporary effects of dispossession on society, especially on marginalized communities. Her research spans theoretical, transdisciplinary, and historically situated approaches to understanding law's role in shaping racial and gender formations. Her publications reveal a consistent focus on property as a central mechanism for understanding colonialism, racial capitalism, and dispossession. The articles demonstrate increasing attention to contemporary issues like housing markets, neoliberal legal transformations, and Palestine solidarity, while maintaining deep engagement with foundational questions about property, race, and law. Her work spans multiple disciplines including law, political theory, postcolonial studies, and critical race studies. Professor Bhandar is actively involved in supervising doctoral and post-doctoral researchers working in areas related to property, critical theory, race, geography, and colonialism. She has received funding from Allard Law Faculty and the Independent Social Research Foundation (Europe) for her research projects. She currently leads research projects on residential housing markets in the UK context, the doctrine of preemption in British Columbia, and is organizing a workshop on 'Dispossession and the Commons' with scholars from Europe, the UK, and the US. She serves on the editorial collective of Radical Philosophy and is a research associate at the Centre for Palestine Studies, SOAS, University of London.
Professor Christian J Tams is a Professor of International Law and Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security (GCILS) at the University of Glasgow's School of Law. His research focuses on public international law, state responsibility, international criminal law, and security law. He has authored major commentaries on the ICJ Statute and the Genocide Convention, and contributed to debates on the ILC Articles on State Responsibility. His recent publications include a 2023 commentary on the 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention and a 2021 analysis of the ILC Articles' 20-year impact. He has held editorial roles for leading international law texts and frequently engages with contemporary legal issues through academic symposia. Professor Tams supervises research students and leads GCILS, a hub for interdisciplinary research on international law and security. While no specific grants are detailed here, his work reflects sustained engagement with critical issues in international legal theory and practice.
Miriam Cohen is an Associate Professor at the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Law, holding the Canada Research Chair in Human Rights and International Reparative Justice. She specializes in public international law, human rights, and international criminal justice. She earned a Ph.D. from Leiden University and holds advanced degrees from Harvard, Cambridge, and Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on reparative justice mechanisms, climate change accountability, and international bodies' roles in rights enforcement. She leads interdisciplinary projects, including the Human Rights and International Justice Lab, which developed a human rights data analysis platform funded by CFI and Quebec grants totaling $400,000. Education: Ph.D. in International Law, Leiden University (2017) LL.M. Harvard Law School (2009) LL.M. University of Cambridge (2008) LL.B. and LL.M., Université de Montréal (2006, 2007) Research Interests: Reparative justice for international crimes, climate change litigation, international criminal accountability, and the intersection of human rights with environmental and national security policies. Her recent articles and books explore reparations for climate harms, transgenerational trauma in ICC jurisprudence, and the role of public interest litigation in international courts. She has secured grants from SSHRC, CFI, and Quebec, and her work has been recognized with awards from the Canadian Council on International Law and Quebec Bar Foundation. She advises international organizations, serves on multiple editorial and governance boards, and collaborates globally on legal research initiatives.
Rebecca Ingber serves as Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, and holds dual leadership roles as Co-Director of the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy and Senior Fellow at NYU School of Law's Reiss Center on Law and Security. Her institutional affiliations extend to high-level governmental roles including U.S. Substitute Member to the Council of Europe's Venice Commission, Advisory Committee member to the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Legal Adviser, and U.S. representative to the OSCE Moscow Mechanism roster of experts. Her academic foundation includes a BA from Yale University and JD from Harvard Law School, complemented by a clerkship with Judge Robert P. Patterson, Jr. of the Southern District of New York. These credentials underpin her expertise in constitutional and international legal frameworks. Professor Ingber's research centers on the critical intersection of international law, national security, and constitutional separation of powers, with particular focus on executive war powers, bureaucratic resistance mechanisms, and the erosion of international legal norms. Her work consistently examines how domestic institutions interact with international legal constraints, especially regarding military actions, treaty compliance, and accountability mechanisms. Recent scholarship demonstrates increasing urgency in analyzing challenges to the rules-based international order. Analysis of her 2020-2025 publications reveals dominant themes in war powers legitimacy, state responses to international criminal jurisdiction, and the systemic weakening of legal constraints on executive action. Her scholarship uniquely bridges theoretical legal analysis with immediate real-world applications, frequently addressing contemporaneous events like the Soleimani strike, ICC arrest warrants, and torture prohibitions through rigorous doctrinal examination. Her scientific recognition includes: Dean’s Award for Scholarship from BU Law Mike Lewis Prize for National Security Law Scholarship (2017) for 'Co-Belligerency' Professor Ingber maintains significant policy influence through congressional testimony on war powers and executive authority, while her scholarly impact extends through editorial leadership at Just Security and contributions to Lawfare . Her advisory roles in The American Law Institute and the ALI’s Foreign Relations Law Restatement demonstrate sustained contribution to legal doctrine development, though specific grant funding details remain undisclosed in source materials. She actively shapes discourse through the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy, which examines democratic governance challenges, and the Reiss Center on Law and Security, where she contributes to interdisciplinary national security research initiatives addressing evolving threats to legal frameworks.
John Connelly is a Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, holding the Sidney Hellman Ehrman Professorship of European History. His academic career spans three decades of research and publication in modern East-Central European history, Catholicism, and the dynamics of dictatorships. Education: PhD in History, Harvard University (1994) MA in History, Harvard University (1988) BSFS in International Relations (magna cum laude), Georgetown University (1982) Research Interests: Modern East and Central European Political and Social History Comparative Education History of Nationalism and Racism History of Catholicism His work examines the intersection of religion and politics, particularly in Eastern Europe under totalitarian regimes, and the transformation of academic institutions under ideological control. Scientific Awards: Humanities Research Fellowship (UC, 2007) Institute for Advanced Study Membership (Princeton, 2002-03) George L. Beer Prize (AHA, 2001) Spencer Fellow (1996-98) German Marshall Fund Fellow (1996-97) 82nd Airborne Division Scholarship (Georgetown, 1978-82) Publications: Connelly has authored or co-authored five major books, including From Enemy to Brother (2012) on Catholic-Jewish relations and Captive University (2000) on Sovietization of higher education. His 50+ journal articles span topics like Nazi racial theory, Stalinist university policies, and postwar Catholic moral theology.
