2021/2022 Next Generation Fellows

Ph.D. in Political Science and Women’s Studies, Ohio State University.

Kelly Atkinson is an Assistant Professor of political science in the US Air Force Academy. She is a major in the US Air Force and a career intelligence officer. Kelly is an alumna of the Chief of Staff of the Air Force Strategic PhD program, and she holds a PhD in Political Science and Women's Studies from the Ohio State University. Her doctoral research focused on the effect of gender-based development policies on child recruitment into conflict, supported by archival research and interviews at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. Kelly has published multiple peer-reviewed journal articles on the role of refugee women in peace-building efforts within conflict dynamics. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts in Strategic Intelligence from the American Military University. At the US Air Force Academy, she teaches courses at the intersection of diversity and security and is engaged in teaching and advancing gender issues across institutions.

M.A. in Diplomacy, Australian National University 

Tevvi Bullock is a Women, Peace and Security Resident Fellow and Young Leader at Pacific Forum. Tevvi has previously worked at the Australian National University as a Research Officer and Academic Tutor and as a College Liaison Officer for the ‘Every Voice’ Project promoting gender-inclusive education. She has also worked for the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters in Australia. Her research investigates the nexus of climate change, conflict, human insecurity, and men and masculinities, and she plans to embark upon a PhD based on this research agenda. She holds a Master of Diplomacy (Advanced) from the Australian National University, a Graduate Certificate of Gender, Peace and Security from Monash University, and a Bachelor of Global Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. She speaks German.

Pursuing M.A. in Gender Studies, University of Oslo

Kelly Fisher is a Research Assistant at the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO), and recently received his MA in Gender Studies from the University of Oslo. Kelly’s research interests include masculinities and its connection to a variety of topics including violence, extremism, and migration. His MA thesis examined the role of masculinities in shaping men’s migration experiences. As a Research Assistant at PRIO Kelly works on projects examining the gendered implications of AI and cybersecurity, violent extremism, as well as other projects connected to Gender, Peace, and Security. Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Kelly received his BA in History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016. Following graduation from Wisconsin, he spent two years working in the U.S.-Mexico border at a Border Studies education center. In 2018 Kelly received a Fulbright Grant to Norway where he has been working and studying since.

MSc in Gender and International Relations, University of Bristol

Pratha Garkoti is a 2018 Commonwealth Shared Scholar. She holds a Master of Science in Gender and International Relations from the University of Bristol UK, a Master of Arts in Gender Studies from Ambedkar University Delhi, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Delhi, India. Her areas of interest include the WPS Agenda, non-traditional security threats particularly climate change, human (in)security, sustainable development goals, and gender-based violence. She is currently working with UNDP in India as a Gender Mainstreaming Intern for the Natural Resource Management and Biodiversity Projects. Moreover, as a New Developments Reporter for the Global Policy Review at the International Women’s Initiative (The IWI), she is also responsible for reporting and analyzing policies that directly or indirectly affect women’s rights and gender equality worldwide. The IWI is a global policy change and advocacy-oriented women’s human rights think-tank based out of the UK.

M.S. in Environmental Policy,  Bard Center for Environmental Policy

Molly Gilligan (she/her) is a Gender and Environmental Policy Specialist with international experience supporting the development of gender-responsive environmental and climate change policies and programs. Molly has specialized experience in measuring the gender-environment nexus through indicator development, data collection, analysis, and knowledge product development, with partners across environmental and development spheres at international, regional and national levels. Molly has experience facilitating stakeholder engagement and capacity building sessions, as well as presenting at international forums. She holds an M.S. in Environmental Policy from Bard College and a B.A. in Environmental Geology from Colgate University. Molly lives in the DC-area with her spouse and their cat.

M.A. in Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS

Claire Harrison is a Research Associate at the Institute for Defense Analyses. Her research focuses on climate security in the MENA region, institutional capacity building, and the role of natural resources in combating violent extremism. She has previously served in various Middle East policy research roles at the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the State Department. Harrison holds an MA in Strategic Studies and International Economics from The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, an ML in Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy from Tsinghua University in Beijing, and a BA in Middle East Studies and Political Science from Sciences Po Paris.

M.A. in International Relations and Political Science, Johns Hopkins SAIS                                                                                                                                              

Julia Hofstetter is Co-President of WIIS Switzerland. She is also Co-Head of the Peace & Security Program at Foraus – the Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy and Advisor at the ICT4Peace Foundation. Hofstetter previously held positions at the Center for Security Studies (CSS), the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). She holds an MA in International Relations from the Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID) and a post-graduate certificate in International Conflict Management from the Johns Hopkins University SAIS Bologna Center. Her areas of expertise include the Women, Peace & Security agenda, innovation in peacebuilding and mediation, and the implications of emerging technologies for peace and security.

 Ph.D. in International and European Law, Kazan Federal University

Liliya Khasanova is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Nanterre Center for International Law in Paris, France. She is currently based in the USA, working for a charity in the dispute resolution sector. Khasanova was a graduate research fellow at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and visiting fellow at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and the Stockholm Center for International law and Justice (Sweden) before earning her Ph.D. in international law. Khasanova's research is focused on various facets of negotiations: from legal aspects to social and humanitarian impact. Her current research interests include the gender dimensions in international negotiations, inclusive peace processes, international law in cybersecurity, and the right to self-defense.

Ph.D. in Liberal Studies, Georgetown University

Tahina Montoya served over 12 years as an Active Duty Officer in the United States Air Force where she worked missions at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels within the Continental United States (CONUS) and internationally in over 9 countries (including Tanzania, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Colombia, and Panama). Currently, Montoya is a Political/Military Analyst in the United States Air Force Reserves and a Doctoral Student in Liberal Studies at Georgetown University. Her research interests center on Gender, Peace, and Security issues with a focus on underrepresented and unacknowledged groups in Latin America.

Ph.D. in International Relations, University of Witwatersrand

Margaret Monyani is a Lecturer and Doctoral Researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Her dissertation focuses on international migration regimes, specifically the global dynamics associated with refugee governance from an African perspective by exploring the livelihood situations of Somali women refugees in Nairobi, Kenya. She has also taught courses in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Moi University, including courses on national politics, international relations, gender, human rights, security and international migration. Her academic performance has earned her prestigious fellowships such as the Andrew Mellon Governing Intimacies Project 2019, Academy for African Urban Diversity Fellowship 2018 and the Erasmus Mundus International Credit Mobility Fellowship 2018. She is a three times recipient of the Next Generation Social Sciences in Africa Research Fellowship.

Ph.D. in Modern Languages, University of Birmingham 

Balsam Mustafa is a Teaching Fellow in the Department of Political Sciences and International Studies at the University of Birmingham. She holds a Ph.D. in Modern Languages (Translation Studies) from the University of Birmingham. Her forthcoming book on Islamic State in Translation will be published by Bloomsbury Academic. She has previously worked as a lecturer in translation and interpreting studies at Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq. Mustafa recently won a prestigious Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship for her cyber-feminism research programme based at the University of Warwick.

 M.A in International Relations, Makerere University 

Jacqueline Nakaiza is a PhD Fellow at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Makerere University. Between 2007 and 2008, she was a Research Fellow at the Decolonization Office at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Over the last ten years, she has participated in a range of research and development projects under the auspices of national and international organizations including the Karamoja Cluster Project and University of Peace; University of Dundee; Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa; Addis Ababa University; National University of Rwanda; the Mo Ibrahim Foundation; World Social Sciences Forum; and Effective States and Inclusive Development Department of Manchester University. Her current research interests focus on negotiating a peaceful end to the insurgency in Somalia.

M.A. in International and European Security, University of Geneva              

Veronica Waeni Nzioki is a Foreign Service Officer from Kenya. Her research interests focus on new technologies, innovation, peace operations, armed conflict, transformation of warfare, and the nexus between decent employment and the enhancement of peace. Nzioki holds a Master of Advanced Studies in International and European Security from the University of Geneva and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations from Corvinus University of Budapest and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science and Sociology (Double Major) from the University of Nairobi. She undertook Gender Studies at the Abo Akademi University in Finland through the North-South-South Exchange Programme. Nzioki is an alumna of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) and its Leadership in International Security Course (LISC).

M.A. in Gender, Violence and Justice, FLASCO

Gaia Pallecchi is a Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Expert, specialized in gender analysis and gender-based violence in emergency prevention and response. She has eleven years’ experience in the humanitarian and development fields, including in gender transformative programming and policies across several countries in four continents. Through her Master’s degree in “Gender, Violence and Justice” from FLACSO University, and several trainings and courses focusing on the specific conditions of women and girls in armed conflict and survivors of gender-based violence, Pallecchi acquired a rich theoretical understanding of unequal power relations and harmful social norms which can lead to GBV. She has held progressively responsible positions managing and coordinating programs for UN agencies, ICRC, international NGOs, and other civil society organizations aimed at promoting women and girls’ safety, recovery, empowerment, and participation at different levels in the society. Along with those experiences, she contributed to the design and implementation of several strategies looking at the gender dimension of international security challenges and fostering the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Masters in Public Policy, Harvard University 

Daniela Philipson Garcia currently works as a Data Analyst at the Center for Policing Equity. She previously served as a Policy Analyst at the Office of the Inspector General for NYPD, specializing in the intersections between police oversight, public health, surveillance technology, and gender-based violence. A policy enthusiast and researcher, Philipson Garcia has also served as a Security Policy Advisor to the Speaker of the Senate of Mexico, a Citizen Security and Justice Consultant to the Interamerican Development Bank, and a Women, Peace and Security Fellow at the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. As a WIIS Next Generation Fellow, Philipson Garcia seeks to support her research on violent extremism, organized crime, and gender in Mexico and Colombia. She has published several pieces for Spanish-media sources-Animal Político and Nexos-on Mexico's Feminist Foreign Policy and National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325. Dani is a Fulbright-García Robles Scholar.

Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science at Potsdam University

Ann-Kathrin Rothermel is a Member of the Berlin Graduate School for Global and Transregional Studies and a Fellow with the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism. Her research focuses on the role of gender in regard to both radicalization and counter-radicalization in terrorism and violent extremism. After having completed a fellowship at the United Nations Secretariat in New York, she started her PhD in 2016 focusing on gendered discursive struggles in the context of global counterterrorism reform by the UN. She has published several articles on the radicalization in antifeminist, male supremacist online movements.

M.A. in Security Policy Studies, George Washington University 

Eric Rudberg is presently serving as a Foreign Affairs Officer Fellow in the Office of Sudan and South Sudan at the US State Department through the Veterans Innovation Partnership Fellowship Program. After graduating from the United States Military Academy (West Point), Rudberg served seven years in the US Army as an infantry officer, including two combat tours in Iraq, once as a Platoon Leader and once as an Executive Officer for a Military Transition Team. Since retiring from the Army he has continued to serve throughout Africa, training and mentoring over 20,000 UN peacekeepers with the State Department’s Global Peace Operations Initiative program, often as the Human Rights subject matter expert. In this capacity he has conducted specialized training in various GPS subjects such as SGBV, CRSV, SEAHV, human trafficking, IDPs/refugees, child soldiers, DDR, and the meaningful participation of female peacekeepers.

Ph.D. in Human Rights and Global Politics, Scuola Superiore 

Claudia Schettini after having obtained a bachelor's degree in Political Science from LUISS University, in Rome, Claudia moved to Paris where she graduated cum laude in International Security (with majors in Diplomacy and European Affairs) at Sciences Po. Schettini has worked at the Atlantic Treaty Association in the department of defence and security where she carried out research on cybersecurity and climate change-migrations issues. She is currently a first year Ph.D candidate at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Human Rights and Global Politics and is conducting a research project on emotions’ recognition as a new challenge for biotechnological hybridation as well as the relative impacts on International Security. Her goal is to broaden the field of Posthuman Security Studies.

Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, University of Albany.

Reyhan Topal is a PhD candidate and an instructor in Political Science at the State University of New York at Albany. She is majoring in International Relations and minoring in Comparative Politics. She completed her B.A. in International Relations at Bilkent University and M.Sc. in International Relations at the Middle East Technical University. Her research interests lie at the intersections of technology, political violence, radicalism, and authoritarianism. She has 5+ years of experience as an analyst in international projects.

Ph.D. Candidate at Gender, Peace and Security,Monash University

Nuri W. Veronika is a PhD candidate at Monash University’s Gender, Peace and Security and a recipient of Indonesian Government Endowment Fund for Education Scholarship. Her doctoral research investigates gender-responsive policies in addressing various subsets of women involved in terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Veronika's areas of interest lie in international relations theories; feminist security study; foreign policy and diplomacy; women and terrorism; CT and C/PVE policies; public policy and governance; WPS; youth, children and armed conflict; repatriation and rehabilitation of women extremists. Veronika previously served as a government officer at the Coordinating Ministry for Political Legal and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia - carrying out assignments as a member of the Indonesian delegates for the repatriation of Indonesian migrant workers and citizens in the early days of the Syrian conflict.