Emerging Experts 2021-2022

Emerging Experts - Archive - 2021-2022 cohort

Emerging experts have expressed an interest in addressing the humanitarian, economic and other implications of arms transfers, security assistance, and weapons use...and are at an early stage in their career.

2021-2022 Emerging Experts

Current program participants (mid-2021 to mid-2022) are based in Canada, Italy, Germany, Kenya, Lebanon, Sweden, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. See what they are tweeting here.

Ask the Emerging Experts: Opinion Series

November 2021 - The COVID-19 pandemic will fundamentally change investments in military spending and the international trade of weapons. (See responses.)

This program is funded by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung New York Office with support from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Forum's work is further supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Inclusion in this list is meant to strengthen our community, but does not indicate agreement with or endorsement of the opinions of others. Institutional affiliation, where indicated, is for identification purposes only. To learn more about the Emerging Experts list and program, click here.

Janet Abou Elias

Julia Auf dem Brinke

Alexander Bertschi Wrigley

Sasha Bhatnagar

Francesco Buscemi

Jordan Cohen

Gonzalo Croci

Devin Entrikin

Ryan Fletcher

Carter Goodwin

Robyn Harris

Hanna Homestead

Matt Korda

Alexandra Kuimova

Yanitra Kumaraguru

Xiaodon Liang

Charlie Linney

Sigrid Lipott

Gabriel Mondragón Toledo

Erica Mumford

Osebhahiemen Okooboh

Hannah Papachristidis

Michael Picard

Aline Shaban

Olena Shumska

Uldduz Sohrabi

Jarod Taylor

Ari Tolany

Tom Watts

Diana Wueger

Janet Abou-Elias is a co-founder of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency. Her work focuses on U.S. law and foreign policy, emerging technologies, and foreign arms sales. Janet holds dual BA degrees in International Relations and Global Studies, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures from The University of Texas at Austin. Email janet[at] w2t2 [dot] org || @Janetabouelias [updated September 2024 ]

Julia Auf dem Brinke is one of the Founders & Co-Programme Manager of the Corruption Tracker Project, where she works on documenting corruption in the arms trade. She holds an MSc from SOAS in Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice. Her interests include arms trade, corruption and the military-industrial complex. She holds an MSc from SOAS in Politics of Conflict, Rights and Justice. Her interests include arms trade, corruption and the military- industrial complex. Email julia [dot] aufdembrinke [at] gmail [dot] com @DemBrinke

Alexander Bertschi Wrigley is an independent researcher who holds a master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from SOAS, University of London. His research interests include security assistance, peacebuilding, security sector stabilization, and humanitarian disarmament, with a specialization in North Africa and the Sahel. Email abertschiwrigley [at] gmail [dot] com || @BertschiWrigley || Linkedin:

Sasha Bhatnagar is a Project Officer at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue where she works on the mediation and prevention of armed conflict in Lebanon and the broader Middle East region. Earlier, she worked for three years with the United Nations Mine Action Service in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali. She holds an M.A. in International Security from Sciences Po Paris with a focus on the use of SALW Email bhatnagar [dot] sasha [at] gmail [dot] com || @sasha_bhatnagar

Francesco Buscemi is a PhD candidate at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and a member of the Research School on Peace and Conflict at PRIO, Oslo. His main interests include the socio-political dynamics of rebel movements, Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) control, disarmament, and armed violence. He concentrates on Myanmar’s highly contested borderlands and frontiers. Email buscemi [dot] francesco [at] hotmail [dot] it || @sushbus || web

Jordan Cohen is a Policy Analyst at the Cato Institute and a Political Science Ph.D. candidate at George Mason University. His dissertation examines when the U.S. Congress passes legislation to restrict the President’s use of weapons sales as a tool of foreign policy. Cohen frequently writes op-eds on weapons sales and is a coauthor on Cato Institute’s Arms Sales Risk Index. Email jcohen [at] cato [dot] org || @jbcohen92 || LinkedIn || +1 216-408-357

Gonzalo Croci’s work focuses on violent crime, organised crime, the criminal justice system and institutional corruption and effectiveness. He is pursuing his PhD at the Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science at University College London. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance and an MSc in Latin American Studies from the University of Oxford. Croci is an Associate professor at Universidad ORT Uruguay. Email gonzalo [dot] croci [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn

Devin Entrikin is an Adjunct Lecturer, Researcher, and Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland, College Park and Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM). His research focuses on the intersection of global governance and human security with an emphasis on regulation of the global conventional arms trade. Email dentrik [at] umd [dot] edu || LinkedIn || web

Ryan Fletcher is a Research Associate with the Conventional Defense Program at the Stimson Center where he researches the global arms trade and the provision of security assistance. He holds an M.A. from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy with concentrations in international law and security studies. Email rfletcher [at] stimson [dot] org || @fletchr

Carter Goodwin is a security and political risk consultant based in Nairobi, Kenya as the Senior Analyst at Valar. His interests and expertise are focused on conflicts, non-state actors, sub-Saharan African politics, and emerging geopolitical threats. Goodwin holds an MSc in African Studies from University of Oxford. Email cgoodwin192 [at] gmail [dot] com

Robyn Harris is an independent researcher from Scotland, interested in ecological feminist perspectives on nuclear policy and discourse. She has an MSc in Applied Gender Studies and volunteers for the Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy. Email [email protected] || @robynharris3

Hanna Homestead is a researcher and advocate for progressive peace and security policies. A recent graduate of Columbia SIPA, she focuses on enhancing oversight of U.S. security assistance and reporting on the global impact of the U.S. arms trade. Email hh2761 [at] columbia [dot] edu || @HannaHomestead

Matt Korda is a Research Associate for the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists and an Associate Researcher with the Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme at SIPRI. He is the co-director of Foreign Policy Generation––a group of young people working to develop a progressive foreign policy. Korda holds a MA in International Peace & Security (Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London). Email mkorda [at] fas [dot] org || @mattkorda

Alexandra Kuimova is a Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme. Her areas of research include the monitoring of arms transfers, military spending and arms industry, foreign and defence policies, with particular focus on MENA, Russia and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining SIPRI, she was an intern in the Department of New Challenges and Threats at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Email alexandra [at] kuimova [dot] sipri [dot] org || @Alex_Kuimova

Yanitra Kumaraguru lectures at the Faculty of Law of the University of Colombo, while also serving as Coordinator of the Sri Lanka Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. She holds a Master’s Degree in Law from Harvard University. Email yanitra_k [at] hotmail [dot] com || @yanitra_k

Xiaodon Liang is a PhD candidate at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, where he studies how civil-military relations affect arms procurement and production in middle-income countries. Other interests include third-party agents in the arms trade and security policy in East Asia. Email xiaodon [dot] liang [at] tufts [dot] edu || LinkedIn

Charlie Linney is a Project Coordinator in the Arms Unit at Saferworld, where she works on projects to promote the adoption of responsible arms transfer control strategies at the national, regional and international levels. Previously, her focus covered the relationship between private actors, corruption, and the arms trade and the influence of the defence industry on policymaking. Email clinney [at] saferworld [dot] org [dot] uk || @charlie_linney || LinkedIn

Sigrid Lipott holds a doctorate in Trans-Border Policies (International University Institute of European Studies). She worked at the European Projects Association and the European External Action Service in Brussels and, more recently, at the Small Arms Survey in Geneva engaging in research on illicit arms trafficking and peacekeeping and coordinating projects on the implementation of UN sanctions. Email sigridlipott [at] hotmail [dot] com

Gabriel Mondragón Toledo is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Hamburg who also conducts research on narrative strategies for disarmament within a Working Group at the Center for Sustainable Society Research. His areas of expertise include conventional weapons, global governance of disarmament, legal arms transfers and their impacts on society and human rights. Email mondragontoledo [at] hotmail [dot] com || @mondragontoledo

Erica Mumford is a Programme Assistant with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Conventional Arms Programme, where she contributes to research on arms control in conflict prevention, and weapons and ammunition management. Her interests include disarmament, demobilization and reintegration and arms control in peacekeeping contexts. She holds an MA in International Security from Sciences Po, Paris. Email Ericamumford66 [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn

Osebhahiemen Okooboh is an International Conflict Management Ph.D. student with a concentration in National Security. She also holds a Master's degree in Conflict Management with a concentration in International Advanced Mediation. Her research interests include anti-personnel landmines -- to realign US landmine policy with the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. Email okoobohose [at] gmail [dot] com || @okooboh_ose || LinkedIn

Hannah Papachristidis is a political risk analyst and previously was a project officer at Transparency International Defence & Security, where she worked on the 2020 Government Defence Integrity Index. Earlier, she completed her MA in International Affairs at Columbia University. Her areas of interest include arms export controls and corruption risk. Email hpapachristidis [at] gmail [dot] com || @Hannah_Papa

Michael Picard is an independent researcher who has worked primarily on small arms and light weapons and armed violence in Southeast Asia. Picard has worked for several NGOs concerned with armed violence, including the Small Arms Survey and GunPolicy.org. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Conflict Management at Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies in Washington DC. Email picardme93 [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn

Aline Shaban is a project assistant at the Small Arms Survey's Data and Analytics unit. She works on the prevention of illicit proliferation, small arms exports and State transparency, as well as craft-produced weapons. Aline holds an MA in International Relations and Political Science from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva (IHEID) and a BA in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. Email aline [dot] shaban [at] smallarmssurvey [dot] org || LinkedIn

Olena Shumska is a consultant for the Small Arms Survey investigating issues related to the illicit proliferation of SALW. She holds master’s degrees in International History from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on post-Soviet states, particularly Ukraine and Russia. Email shumskaolena [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn

Uldduz Sohrabi is a Communications Advisor for Article 36. She is currently focused on developing new outputs and strategies for autonomous weapons and explosive weapons thematic work. Sohrabi has worked as a journalist for multiple publications and is currently also studying her PhD focusing on autonomous weapons at Kingston University London, as part of its Law & Technology Research Group. Email uldduz [at] article36 [dot] org

Jarod Taylor is a policy advisor with interests in U.S. sanctions and security assistance. He holds an M.A. from Yale University and is a member of the Aspen Strategy Group Rising Leaders Program. Email [email protected] || @JarodATaylor || LinkedIn || web

Ari Tolany is the U.S Program Officer at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC). She holds an M.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and is interested in the arms trade in South and West Asia and strengthening civilian protection in the provision of security assistance. Email atolany [at] civiliansinconflict [dot] org || LinkedIn

Tom Watts is currently a Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Hertfordshire and a part-time researcher on the AUTONORMS project based at the University of Southern Denmark. His research interests are in the field of International Security with a particular focus on American foreign policy, “remote warfare” and autonomous weapons systems. Email t[dot]watts3[at] herts [dot] ac [dot] uk || @tfawatts || LinkedIn || Researchgate

Diana Wueger is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Chicago and a Faculty Associate for Research at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Her dissertation examines the politics of secrecy in international security cooperation, focusing on the development and sale of advanced weapons. Research interests also include nuclear & conventional deterrence, maritime strategy, and South Asian security. Email diana [dot] wueger [at] gmail [dot] com || @dianawueger || LinkedIn || web

Past Participants

Due to employment and other changes, at times individuals leave the Emerging Expert program before the cohort term concludes. In the 2021-2022 program, that has included:

Lucile Robin was a Research Assistant for the programme Dual-Use and Arms Trade Control at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). She works on arms export controls as well as small arms and light weapons control-related assistance. @robin_lucile || LinkedIn