UNIDIR - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher Security and Technology
Aamna Rafiq is a Researcher (Cyber) within the Security and Technology Programme at UNIDIR. She has expertise in securitization of cyberthreats at national, regional and international levels. She is also interested in the military applications of emerging technologies specially ICTs and their integration into warfare strategies and doctrines.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Aamna worked at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, Senate's Standing Committee on Defence Production at the Parliament of Pakistan, and Arms Control & Disarmament Affairs Branch of Strategic Plans Division, Pakistan. She holds an MPhil degree in International Relations from Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan. She has authored publications on information security for civilian nuclear facilities, securitization of cyberthreats in Pakistan, and militarization of emerging technologies and their impact on strategic stability and future of arms control in South Asia.
Aamna speaks English, Urdu and Punjabi.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow
- Vice - Chairman of the Board of the Global Relations Forum
UNIDIR Senior Fellow Ambassador (ret.) Ahmet Üzümcü is Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Global Relations Forum, Senior Fellow at the European Leadership Network and Senior Adviser with the Council on Strategic Risks. He was appointed Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in December 2009 and served in that role until July 2018.
He is a career diplomat with vast experience in multilateral diplomacy and disarmament and non-proliferation issues. Prior to joining the OPCW, he was Turkey's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva, where he chaired the Conference on Disarmament in March 2008. Ambassador (R) Üzümcü has also served as Deputy Undersecretary of State for Bilateral Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey's Permanent Representative to NATO and Ambassador to Israel, in addition to earlier postings to NATO, Aleppo and Vienna.
Ambassador Üzümcü received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the OPCW in December 2013. In December 2015, H.E. Mr. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development of France, decorated Director-General Üzümcü with the Légion d'honneur (rank of officer). In 2019, he was made honorary CMG, Order of St Michael and St George, by the British Government for his services to international diplomacy and the rule of law. During his tenure as Director-General of the OPCW, he was decorated by the Federal Republic of Germany and Austria for his contributions to the success of the OPCW. He was also recognized by honorary doctorates from four universities in the UK, Argentina, Russia and Italy. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations from Ankara University and speaks English and French fluently.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher Conventional Arms and Ammunition
- Researcher With UNIDIR 's Conventional Arms
Alexandra Kuimova is a Researcher with UNIDIR's Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme, where she contributes to the development and implementation of research and analysis on security and development issues.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, she worked with the Arms Transfers Programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), where she conducted research on the role of arms flows in fuelling armed conflict, the risks entailed by the emergence of new suppliers in the global arms trade, and on transparency in military expenditure, with particular focus on the developments in the Middle East and North Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe. She was also an intern with the Department of New Challenges and Threats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, where she prepared a background report on terrorist movements in the MENA region.
Alexandra holds a specialist degree in African and Oriental studies (Arabic language) from the Kazan Federal University. She also completed internships at Université Abdelmalek Essa di in Morocco and Cairo University in Egypt.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Fellow Conventional Arms and Ammunition
- Research Fellow With UNIDIR 's Conventional Arms
Alfredo Malaret Baldo is a research fellow with UNIDIR's Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme and Urban Violence Officer at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, University of San Diego, where he is also a co-facilitator of the Peace in Our Cities network. He will contribute to CAAP's research and activities on the impact of conventional arms control measures on sustainable development.
Alfredo is the recipient of the 2024 Alumni Achievement Award from Pennsylvania State University. Before joining the University of San Diego, Alfredo served as a Researcher with UNIDIR's Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme, where he coordinated the Development and Urbanization of Violence research portfolios. Prior to UNIDIR, Alfredo worked at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI); the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC); and for retired United States Ambassador Dennis Jett during his time at the Pennsylvania State University. He holds master's degrees in public affairs from Brown University and international affairs from the Pennsylvania State University. He has a bachelor's degree in political science and communication studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher Space Security, Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Space Security Researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
Almudena Azcárate Ortega is a Space Security Researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR).
She has published widely and briefed UN Member States on the topics of space security law and policy and has presented her research in multiple fora. She has led UNIDIR's participation in the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Reducing Space Threats Through Norms, Rules and Principles of Responsible Behaviour, established pursuant to UN General Assembly resolution 76/231.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Almudena was a Research Assistant at Georgetown University Law Center, where she is currently a doctoral candidate. She holds an LL.M. in National Security Law from the same institution, where she was the recipient of Georgetown's Thomas Bradbury Chetwood, S.J. Prize for the most distinguished academic performance in the programme. She received her LL.B. from the University of Navarra, Spain.
She speaks English, Spanish, French and German.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone
Almuntaser Albalawi is a Researcher for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (ME WMDFZ) Project. Prior to joining UNIDIR, Almuntaser was a doctoral researcher in the International Security Department at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), the largest peace research institute in Germany. Before PRIF, Almuntaser worked at the Royal Scientific Society in Jordan, where he led the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Threat Office and served as a senior staff scientist at the Biosafety and Biosecurity Center.
Job Titles:
- Finance and Budget Officer
- Finance and Budget Officer Cross - Institut
Alphonce is a Finance and Budget Officer with the administrative support team, which covers budget, finance, human resources and procurement.
He has an MBA in Strategic Management and a BSc in International Business Administration from the United States International University (USIU) in Nairobi, Kenya. Alphonce has completed CFA Levels 1 and 2, and his areas of expertise are financial analysis, budgeting, business administration and data analysis.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Alphonce served as Finance Assistant at OHCHR for two years and at OCHA for over seven years in finance, budget and administrative roles.
He speaks English and Swahili.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Professional
- Graduate Professional Managing Exits from Armed Conflict
Amos Benjamin is a Graduate Professional with the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict project at UNIDIR. His interests include participatory research with young people affected by conflict, particularly in refugee and displacement settings. He is passionate about developing child-sensitive methodologies to amplify youth voices in peacebuilding and reintegration efforts.
Amos holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Health from the University of Malawi. He has worked closely with the government of Malawi on participatory research initiatives, ensuring that youth perspectives are integrated into policy discussions on environment, health and peace.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Amos co-founded the Clean Cities Project, an initiative advancing renewable energy and climate action in Malawi. His leadership in sustainability has engaged thousands of young people in green skills, recycling, and clean energy alternatives.
In 2024, he was selected as part of the Inaugural Youth Leader Fund for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, a global initiative by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), empowering young changemakers to advocate for peace and disarmament. Amos is fluent in English and Chichewa and has intermediary level of proficiency in French.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Research Coordinator
- Associate Research Coordinator Managing Exits from Armed Conflict
- Associate Research Coordinator With the Managing Exits
Anamika Madhuraj is an Associate Research Coordinator with the Managing Exits from Armed Conflict initiative at UNIDIR.
Her research interests and publications focus on issues related to state building and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, logics of insurgent mobilization and dynamics of armed group violence, participatory microeconomic policymaking, climate security, and the governance of science and technology.
She holds a master's degree in Public Policy from Harvard University and a bachelor's degree in Politics and Geography from King's College London.
Before joining UNIDIR, she designed education policies for public schools in Colombia during the FARC disarmament, worked on multilateral peacekeeping affairs with the Foreign Ministry of India, and handled participatory capacity development projects for UN-Habitat in Nairobi. More recently, she supported the monitoring and reporting of human rights violations and security trends in the MENA region for the Executive Office of the SG.
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher
- Senior Researcher Security and Technology
Andraz is the lead cyber stability researcher, part of the Security and Technology Programme.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Andraz held various research positions in different international organizations and research institutions around the world.
Andraz holds a PhD in International Law, MA in Diplomacy and speaks 3 languages, including English.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Head of Programme
- Deputy Head of Programme Security and Technology
- Deputy Head of the Security and Technology Programme
Andrea Gronke is the Deputy Head of the Security and Technology Programme at UNIDIR. Andrea is an experienced international lawyer with particular expertise in international security law and the application of international law in cyberspace. Prior to joining UNIDIR, Andrea spent twelve years working in a variety of legal and policy roles within the Australian Government, including as an Assistant Director in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and a Senior Legal Officer in the Attorney-General's Department. Andrea also represented Australia as legal adviser on Australia's delegation to the United Nations Open-Ended Working Group on Cyber.
Andrea holds a Master of Laws (with commendation) specialising in International Law from the Australian National University and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons)/Bachelor of International Relations from Bond University.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Consultant Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Research Director at the European Leadership Network
Andreas Persbo is the Research Director at the European Leadership Network and UNIDIR consultant focused on the provision of support for the Chair of the Group of Governmental Experts to further consider nuclear disarmament verification issues. Before joining the ELN, Andreas served as the Executive Director of the Verification Research, Training and Information Centre (2009-2019), where he'd previously served as a research and senior researcher (2004-2009) with a regional focus on Iran and South Asia.
He was one of the founding members of the UK-Norway Initiative on Verified Warhead Dismantlement. After completing district court service in Sweden (2001-2003), Andreas moved to the UK and worked as an analyst at the British American Security Information Council (2003-2004).
His areas of expertise are verification, West-Russia relations, NATO, WMD disarmament, arms control and non-proliferation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher
- Senior Researcher in the WMD Programme
- Senior Researcher Weapons of Mass Destruction
Andrey Baklitskiy is a Senior Researcher in the WMD Programme at UNIDIR. His current research focuses on nuclear risk reduction and nuclear arms control. He holds a specialist diploma (MA equivalent) from the Ural Federal University.
He is also a member of the Deep Cuts Commission. He was previously a Program Director at PIR Center, a Research Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, a Visiting Research Fellow at the CSIS and a Senior Research Fellow at the MGIMO University.
He speaks English and Russian.
Job Titles:
- Team Assistant
- Team Assistant Cross - Institut
Responsible for travel administration, procurement, grant management and various tasks related to the organization of UNIDIR events and office support. Expertise in documentation, administration, international trade and linguistics.
Job Titles:
- Project Coordinator
- Project Coordinator for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone
- Project Coordinator Middle East WMD - Free Zon
Anne-Laure Souissi-Sans is a Project Coordinator for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone project. She has over fifteen years of experience with the United Nations in the field of peace and security, serving at headquarters in New York and Nairobi and in field operations. Anne-Laure has worked globally on conflict prevention and resolution efforts, including in Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Most recently, she contributed to UN good offices in the Great Lakes region and to efforts to prevent violent extremism in East Africa.
Anne-Laure holds a Master Degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, and a B.A. in History from the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. She has published on the mission of the OSCE in Kosovo and on the work of International Committee of the Red Cross in Eastern Europe after WWII. Anne-Laure speaks English and French, and passable German and Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Professional
- Graduate Professional Conventional Arms and Ammunition
Augustine is a Graduate Professional in the Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme at UNIDIR. He conducts research and supports efforts to strengthen weapons and ammunition management in Africa and the Americas. Prior to joining UNIDIR, his professional affiliations and work focused on legal and policy issues with the ECOWAS Court, the African Union Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security and the Lex Lata Centre for International Law and Comparative Constitutionalism in Africa.
Augustine is currently pursuing a triple master's degree in International Law at the University of Glasgow (Scotland, UK), International Relations and Security at the Institut Barcelona D'Estudis Internacionals (Barcelona, Spain), and European Law Advance at Radboud University (Nijmegen, The Netherlands). His master's research explores the EU-Africa Peace and Security Architecture, migration and global politics.
Augustine speaks English, basic French, Bekwarra, and is learning Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher Conventional Arms and Ammunition
- Researcher With the Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme
Barbara is a Researcher with the Conventional Arms and Ammunition Programme at UNIDIR. Prior to re-joining UNIDIR, where she was previously a Graduate Professional and research assistant, Barbara worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, and was a research intern with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.
A Brazilian-qualified lawyer, Barbara received her Bachelor of Laws degree from Universidade Federal da Bahia in Brazil, after completing part of her degree at Sciences Po Paris. She also holds a Master's in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, where she specialized on issues at the intersection of international law and security. She speaks English, French, German, Portuguese and passable Spanish.
Barbara's areas of expertise include counter-terrorism, conflict prevention, conventional arms control, international humanitarian law, weapons law, and emerging means and methods of warfare.
UNIDIR Senior Fellow Dr. Bates Gill has enjoyed a 30-year global career as an internationally respected institution-builder, policy advisor and scholar, with a focus on China and Indo-Pacific affairs. He is currently a Senior Fellow for Asian Security with the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR, Seattle and Washington, D.C.) and a Senior Associate Fellow with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI, London).
He previously served as the Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies and inaugural Director of the Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution.
Dr. Gill's research has resulted in more than 200 publications and travel to more than 55 countries. His most recent book is Daring to Struggle: China's Global Ambitions under Xi Jinping (Oxford University Press, 2022).
Dr. Gill holds the Royal Order of the Commander of the Polar Star, the highest award bestowed upon foreigners by the Swedish monarch, for his contributions to Swedish interests. He has lived three years in China and Taiwan, 12 years in Europe (France, Sweden, Switzerland), and 12 years in Australia. Dr. Gill received his PhD in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow
- Director of Lex International Fund
UNIDIR Senior Fellow Beatrice Fihn is the director of Lex International Fund, a philanthropic fund focused on supporting and developing international law. She is an expert on international law, weapons governance and civil society mobilization. She is the former Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning campaign coalition that works to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. Ms. Fihn accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and delivered the Nobel Lecture in Oslo on behalf of the campaign.
As one of the world's foremost experts on civil society mobilization, international law, and diplomacy and multilateralism, she has worked over a decade to convince governments, parliamentarians and international organizations to come together and work collectively for global governance solutions. She has spoken at the United Nations, the European Parliament, the World Economic Forum, the Munich Security Conference and SXSW, as well as lecturing at numerous universities, including Harvard, Penn, Oxford and Cambridge.
Her work has been covered and reported on by CNN, BBC HARDtalk and the Financial Times, amongst others. She has also been profiled by the New York Times and Time magazine, as well as being listed as one of the 50 most influential people by Bloomberg Media.
Born in Sweden, Beatrice has a Master's in Law from the University of London and a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Stockholm University.
Job Titles:
- Research Assistant
- Research Assistant Space Security, Weapons of Mass Destruction
Chelsea Mai is a Research Assistant in the Space Security and Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme at UNIDIR. Her research interests include weapons of mass destruction, space security governance, nuclear reversal, nuclear security and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Chelsea worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belize, covering international security issues related to disarmament and arms control. She was also a Visiting Fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California, where she conducted research on nuclear security in the Caribbean region.
Chelsea holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies from the University of Glasgow (UK), the University of Trento (Italy), and Charles University (Czech Republic), and a Bachelor's in International Relations from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica.
She is fluent in English.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Fellow Cross - Institute
- Research Fellow
Christian Bueger is a research fellow at UNIDIR and a professor of International Relations at the University of Copenhagen.
Bueger is widely known for his research on maritime security, including responses to blue crime, naval operations, maritime domain awareness and maritime security strategy.
He holds a PhD from the European University Institute and has held fellowships including at the National University of Singapore, the University of Stellenbosch and the University College London.
Bueger is the author of Understanding Maritime Security (with Tim Edmunds), published by Oxford University Press, and has explored issues of maritime security and international relations in over 180 publications.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Professional
- Graduate Professional Cross - Institut
Clara Zuccarino is a Graduate Professional with the Strategic Communications team at UNIDIR. She holds a Master's in International and Development Studies from the Geneva Graduate Institute and a Bachelor's in Philosophy, International and Economic Studies from Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where she graduated cum laude.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Clara has interned at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, where she worked with the Public Information Unit on the media and social media relations and strategy with multiple international stakeholders. With a deep professional and academic interest in Environment and Sustainability, Clara has contributed to the World Meteorological Organization's 2023 State of Climate Services for Health Report as Student Researcher, working on the report's strategic storytelling. She also held a Monitoring and Evaluation internship position for the think tank International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Clara speaks English, Spanish, Italian and has an intermediate proficiency in French.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher in the WMD Programme
- Researcher Weapons of Mass Destruction
Clarisse Bertherat is a Researcher in the WMD Programme at UNIDIR, focusing on the national implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Her expertise includes international law, international humanitarian law and project management.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Clarisse worked for various international entities in the field of public health and disarmament, including the OPCW, UNODA and ICH. She holds two Masters degrees: one in international and European law from the University of Nice, and another in international project management from the University of Lyon.
Clarisse speaks French and English, as well as intermediate Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Head of Communications
- Head of Communications Cross - Institut
Claudia is the Head of Communications at UNIDIR. She has expertise in strategic communications, digital media and brand management, with a strong background in international organizations.
Before joining UNIDIR, Claudia was Marketing Communications Lead at the World Economic Forum where she led communication efforts to enhance the visibility of global initiatives. Her previous roles have involved developing and implementing multichannel communications strategies, managing large-scale advocacy campaigns and publications and developing a wide range of communications materials for diverse stakeholders.
Claudia holds a Master's degree in Communication and Media from the University of Geneva. She speaks English, Spanish and French.
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher Security and Technology
Dominique is a Researcher working with UNIDIR's Security and Technology Programme on cybersecurity with a particular focus on international law. Her areas of expertise include international law, international humanitarian law and human rights, international security, and disarmament issues.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Dominique worked at the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, the Non-Proliferation for Global Security Foundation, and the Civil Association for Equality and Justice. She holds an LL.M. from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, a postgraduate degree in Security, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, and a Law Degree from the University of Buenos Aires.
Dominique speaks English, Spanish, and has an intermediate knowledge of French.
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher / Security and Technology
Job Titles:
- Researcher
- Researcher Conventional Arms and Ammunition
Adam has carried out baseline assessments and written corresponding reports on ‘Weapons and Ammunition Management' across Central America. His latest book, From South Central to Southside: Gang transnationalism, gender, and chronic vulnerability in Belize City will be published by Temple University Press, in spring 2024.
His 2025 publications include: ‘No man's land? Focusing on men to reduce global armed violence', UNIDIR; and with Myrttinen, H., Lewis, C., Touquet, H., Schulz, P., Yousaf, F., & Laruni, E. ‘Masculine Vulnerability, Gangs, and Perpetual Violence', Routledge Handbook of Masculinities, Conflict, and Peacebuilding.
Job Titles:
- Director ( D - 2, Germany )
- Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
Dr Robin Geiss is the Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). He was appointed by Secretary-General António Guterres and assumed the post in April 2021. He brings to the position over 20 years of experience in peace, security and international affairs. Previously, he served as tenured Professor and Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow. He was also the Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Visiting Professor at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, Paris. Dr. Geiss has served as Legal Adviser and delegate to the UN Human Rights Council for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and he is an ex officio member of the UN Secretary General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
Charts the strategic and tactical direction of UNIDIR, raises funds and manages the Institute's staff.
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher
- Senior Researcher for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone
- Senior Researcher Middle East WMD - Free Zon
Dr. Abdolrasool (Farzam) Divsallar is a Senior Researcher for the Middle East Weapons of Mass Destruction Free Zone (ME WMDFZ) Project.
He is also an Adjunct Professor at the Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington. His area of research lies at the intersection of security studies and regional studies. Dr. Divsallar's focus and interests include military strategies in the Persian Gulf, Iran's military and foreign affairs, regional security reform, Middle East non-proliferation issues, Russia-Iran relations, and security assistance. He has written and edited eight books, including Struggle for Alliance: Russia and Iran in the Era of War in Ukraine (2024), and has published numerous peer review journal articles.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, and between 2019-2023, Divsallar was a visiting Professor at the Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and a co-led of the Regional Security Initiative at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. In these roles, he led a combined research and dialogue efforts on rethinking the security architecture in the Persian Gulf region. Divsallar has been a Policy Leader Fellow at the EUI School of Transnational Governance in 2020. Between 2005 and 2018 he worked in Tehran in various positions including at the Institute for the Middle East Strategic Studies, Defense Industries Training and Research Institute, and Center for Strategic Studies. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science - Iranian Studies from the University of Tehran.
Divsallar speaks, English, Farsi, and Italian.
Job Titles:
- Fellow
- Fellow in UNIDIR 's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme
- Fellow Weapons of Mass Destruction
Dr. Alexander Ghionis is a Fellow in UNIDIR's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme and a Harvard Sussex Program Research Fellow in Chemical and Biological Security based in SPRU (Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex). He is also an associate researcher with CBWNet and a member of the Chemical Weapons Convention Coalition. His expertise lies in the chemical and biological weapons (CBW) prohibition regime, with a particular interest in the socio-technical dynamics of governance regimes.
Job Titles:
- Communications Specialist
- Communications Specialist Cross - Institut
Dr. Asa Cusack is a Communications Specialist at UNIDIR. He is responsible for ensuring implementation of the Institute's communications strategy and building awareness and engagement with the Institute's key audiences.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, he was responsible for establishing the communications presence of the LSE Latin America and Caribbean Centre and editing its academic blog. He has also held communications and research positions at the Centre for Latin American Studies and on the Economics in the Public Sphere project at University College London. He holds a PhD in Latin American and Caribbean Political Economy and a master's in Politics and International Relations from the University of Sheffield (UK), as well as a bachelor's degree in American Studies from the University of Hull (UK).
Asa has contributed to various print, digital and broadcast media on Latin American affairs (including CNN, the BBC, Al Jazeera, Sky News, France 24, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph). He has also observed elections in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia for the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). He speaks English, Spanish and French.
Job Titles:
- Graduate Professional
- Graduate Professional Gender and Disarmament
Dr. Bénédicte Santoire is a Graduate Professional in Gender and Disarmament at UNIDIR.
Bénédicte is a researcher and independent consultant. She has a Ph.D in International Relations from the University of Ottawa. Her doctoral thesis focused on the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia.
Bénédicte has taught and conducted research on feminist theories of International Relations, feminist security studies, feminist foreign policies, humanitarian disarmament, and global norms. Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including in the International Feminist Journal of Politics, Études Internationales, and Lexington Books.
She has completed various consultancies projects with Mines Action Canada, the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, UN Women Europe & Central Asia Regional Office, and Right To Play, and she currently sits on the Steering Committee of the Women, Peace and Security Network - Canada.
Bénédicte's areas of expertise include gender, peacebuilding, and international security, with a particular focus on Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Balkans. She is fluent in French and English and has intermediate proficiency in Spanish and Russian.
Job Titles:
- Head of Project
- Head of Project Middle East WMD - Free Zone
Dr. Chen Zak Kane is the Middle East Nonproliferation Program Director at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies at Monterey. She is the founder of the Middle East Next Generation Arms Control Network.
Dr. Kane has held research positions at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, as well as the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. She was an adviser to both the Jebsen Center for Counter-Terrorism at Tufts University, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis University, as well as an adjunct professor with the National Defense University. Prior to joining CNS, Dr. Kane worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She holds a PhD and MALD from Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of International Law at Essex Law School
- Fellow Space Security
Dr. Erin Pobjie is Assistant Professor of International Law at Essex Law School and a Fellow of the Space Security Programme at UNIDIR. Her expertise is in public international law, with a focus on the illegal use of force by States and new and emerging threats to international peace and security. She is co-Rapporteur of the International Law Association's Committee on the Use of Force.
Job Titles:
- Programme Assistant
- Programme Assistant Security and Technology
Edward is a Programme Assistant for the Security and Technology Programme.
He holds an LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy; an LLM in Constitutional and Human Rights Law and a Bachelor of Laws Honours Degree from Midlands State University, Zimbabwe. His experience and expertise include international humanitarian law, public international law and the law of weaponry and new technologies including artificial intelligence and cyber. Prior to joining UNIDIR, he worked with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, International Committee of the Red Cross and Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre. Edward is a co-recipient of the 2023 Henry Dunant Research Prize for his research, "Advancing honour and dignity in death for victims of armed conflicts: Exploring the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Humanitarian Forensic Action under International Humanitarian Law."
Edward is fluent in English.
UNIDIR Senior Fellow Elayne Whyte Gómez is a diplomat and academic. She is currently a Professor of Practice at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 2017, she was the President of the United Nations Conference that negotiated and adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which entered into force in 2021.
A diplomat and policymaker with special expertise in the fields of security, human rights, regional integration and global negotiations, she was the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica and served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Costa Rica to the United Nations.
She has a longstanding history of navigating policy and legal negotiations at the national, Latin American and global levels. Her leadership roles within security and disarmament treaty-regimes, both regionally and globally, speak to her influence in shaping and implementing international agreements. Beyond her role as President of the United Nations conference to prohibit nuclear weapons, she has spearheaded numerous negotiations to address legal gaps and foster cooperation within the universal human rights framework and the global health agenda, particularly within the World Health Organization. She has also exercised leadership roles in several treaty regimes, such as the Arms Trade Treaty, the Cluster Munitions Convention and the Anti-Personal Landmines Convention.
Elayne Whyte Gómez was a Fellow on Harvard University's Weatherhead Scholars Program and within the Advanced Leadership Initiative. She has also served as Adjunct Professor in the International Law Department of the United Nations-mandated University for Peace, as well as in the School of International Relations of the National University of Costa Rica.
Beyond public service, she has served as the Executive Director of the Mesoamerica Integration and Development Project, which coordinates and delivers social and economic development projects across the Central American region, and as a senior consultant on regional integration, security, human rights, development and democratic governance for international organizations and academic institutions.
Job Titles:
- Associate Political Affairs Officer, Office of the Directorate
- Associate Political Affairs Officer, Office of the Directorate Cross - Institut
- Junior Professional Officer / Associate
Fanny is a Junior Professional Officer/Associate expert at the Office of the Directorate.
Fanny's areas of expertise are diplomacy, nuclear disarmament, arms control, international law and risk management.
Fanny is graduated from the Institute of Political Studies of Strasbourg in International Relations and European studies, she holds a master's degree in Strategy, Intelligence and Risk management from the Institute of Political Studies of Lille and a master's degree in Public Affairs from Paris Dauphine University.
Prior to joining UNIDIR, Fanny was working at the French Embassy to Australia and at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs Headquarters in Paris at the Political and Security Affairs Department (Disarmament and non-proliferation and Western Balkans divisions).
Job Titles:
- Researcher and Data Scientist
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Project Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Administrative Officer
- Associate
Job Titles:
- Associate Political Affairs Officer, Office of the Directorate
Job Titles:
- Fellow / Security and Technology
Maliha joined UNIDIR in 2020 and has been leading the FBA team which covers budget and finance, human resources and procurement. Prior to joining UNIDIR, Maliha served as Finance and Budget Officer with the UN Resident Coordinator System based in New York and before that with the Budget and Finance Section of the UN OCHA, in both Geneva and New York.
Provides management and oversight of UNIDIR's Finance, Budget, and Administration team and also its Communications unit.
Job Titles:
- Junior Digital Communications Specialist
Job Titles:
- Administrative Officer
- Associate
Job Titles:
- Researcher / Security and Technology
UNIDIR Senior Fellow Madame Bineta Diop has served as the Special Envoy of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security since 2014.
She is the founder and president of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS), an international NGO founded in Switzerland in 1996 that seeks to foster, strengthen and promote the leadership role of women in conflict prevention, management and resolution in Africa. Ms. Diop has more than 40 years of experience in human rights, gender and development.
This experience includes nearly 20 years at the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, where she implemented a variety of peacebuilding measures to promote women's participation in peace processes. She facilitated peace talks among women for the Arusha Peace and Reconciliation Agreement in 2000 and the 2002 Sun City Agreement.
Through her leadership in civil society, Ms. Diop contributed in the shaping of Africa's gender normative frameworks, such as the Maputo Protocol on Women's Rights and the African Union Convention on Human Rights. This engagement led her to set up the Gender is My Agenda Action Network (GIMAC) to promote gender equality in Africa.
Ms. Diop has spearheaded a number of women-led initiatives including the Empowering Women in Agriculture (EWA), which aims to build the capacity of women farmers and promote fair access to agricultural inputs for women, and the Pan African Centre for Gender, Peace and Development (PAC), which is dedicated to building women and youth capacity on gender, peacebuilding and development.
She co-convenes the African Women's Leaders Network, a platform championed by the United Nations and the African Union to promote women's leadership in the agenda 2030 and 2063 under the patronage of H.E. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia.
She has received many honours and awards, including being named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2011. She holds special doctoral degrees from various institutions.
Ms. Bineta Diop's passion and leadership have made a huge impact on women's empowerment and peacebuilding in Africa and beyond.
Job Titles:
- Fellow / Security and Technology
Job Titles:
- Team Assistant, Administrative Support Team
Job Titles:
- Graduate Professional
- Space Security
Job Titles:
- Finance and Budget Officer
Job Titles:
- Senior Researcher ( Non - Resident Consultant )
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- Counselor and Former Consul - General of the People 's Republic of China to Perth
Job Titles:
- Fellow / Security and Technology
Job Titles:
- Ambassador ( Ret. ) and Former Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament