Emerging Experts
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.
2025-2026 Emerging Experts (see previous cohorts 2024-2025, 2023-2024, 2022-2023, 2021-2022, 2020-2021)
Current program participants (mid-2025 to mid-2026) are based in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Lebanon, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, United Kingdom, United States and are of American (United States), Australian, Bosnia and Herzegovinian, Brazilian, British (United Kingdom),Canadian, Czech, Dutch, Egyptian, Finnish, French, German, Indian, Irish, Italian, Lebanese, Malaysian, Mexican, Myanma, Namibian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, South African, Taiwanese, and Ugandan nationality.
The Forum's work is 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.
The Forum's work is 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.
Mennah Abdelwahab
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Tabitha R Agaba
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Nyein Nyein Thant Aung
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Christelle Barakat
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Manon Blancafort
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Patrick Bodovitz
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Natalie Bramlett
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Kristoffer Burck
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Yi Kang Choo
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Jack Cinamon
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Tereza Corradi
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Esmée de Bruin
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Marta Durin
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Chi Fang
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Luís C. Farias
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Ida Andenæs Galtung
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Melanie García Flores
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Niamh Gillen
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Allie Hansen
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Monalisa Hazarika
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Bailey Henwood
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Zain Hussain
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Dominika Iwan-Sojka
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Stephanie Meciar
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Selma Mustafić
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Abongile Nkamisa
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Amanda Pereira
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Chiara Rosellini
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Suzie Shefeni
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Sannimari Veini
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Mennah Abdelwahab supports work on landmines, cluster munitions, explosive weapons in populated areas, incendiary weapons, and killer robots. Her interests include the gender and racial implications of conflict, particularly in the global South. Email: mennah [dot] abdelwahab [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Tabitha R Agaba is a freelance writer and researcher based in Uganda with a keen interest in
issues of transnational crime, crime based illicit financial flows and the arms trade.
Email: tabithaagaba6 [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn || @tabitha_agaba
issues of transnational crime, crime based illicit financial flows and the arms trade.
Email: tabithaagaba6 [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn || @tabitha_agaba
Nyein Nyein Thant Aung is a security policy analyst and researcher specialising in non-state actors, dual-use technology, and illicit activities across Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Indian Ocean region. Nyein Nyein holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s in Security, Intelligence, and Strategic Studies and an M.A. in Human Rights from Mahidol University. Email: nyeinnt [dot] aung [at] gmail [dot] com
Christelle Barakat is a researcher at the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies and a Fulbright recipient holding a M.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies with a concentration in International Peace Development from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her research interests include disarmament, non-proliferation, and arms control, the Sustainable Development Goals and diversity, equity and inclusion. Email: christelle [dot] barakat8 [at] gmail [dot] com II LinkedIn II Instagram
Manon Blancafort is a project assistant at the Small Arms Survey, where she works on the illicit proliferation of SALW in Afghanistan, IEDs in West Africa and the ATT in the Indo-Pacific. Previously, Manon worked at UNIDIR as well at the UN Secretariat. She holds a Master in Peace, Security and Conflicts from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and an International Humanitarian Law post-graduate degree from the Université Côte d’Azur. Email: manon [dot] blancafort [at] smallarmssurvey [dot] org II LinkedIn
Patrick Bodovitz is a contributing writer for TheCollector and the Prometheus Security Project, exploring US foreign policy history and emerging technologies in military policy planning. He previously worked with the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and the Center for International Policy's Security Assistance Monitor program. Bodovitz holds an master's degree from American University's School of International Service. Email: pbodovitz [at] hotmail [dot] com || LinkedIn || Substack
Natalie Bramlett is a research assistant in the Stimson Center’s Conventional Defense Program, where she works on transparency of the international conventional weapons trade and monitors the U.S. government’s provision of military assistance to governments that use and recruit child soldiers. Email: nbramlett [at] stimson [dot] org || LinkedIn
Kristoffer Burck is a PhD candidate at Justus-Liebig-University Giessen and an associate research fellow at Peace Research Institute Frankfurt. His research focusses on arms control and disarmament law, specifically the prohibition regimes against chemical and biological weapons. Email: kristoffer [dot] burck [at] recht [dot] uni-giessen [dot] de II LinkedIn || @krisburck.bsky.social
Yi Kang Choo is a project manager at Transparency International UK, where he co-leads the delivery of chapter-led projects within the Defence & Security programme, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected states and the Asia Pacific region. He holds a Masters in Corporate Law from the University of Cambridge and a Law degree from Queen’s University Belfast. Email: ychoo [at] transparency [dot] org | LinkedIn
Jack Cinamon is researcher and parliamentary liaison for Shadow World Investigations and co-research coordinator for the Corruption Tracker. His research mostly focuses on grand corruption and the global arms trade. Email: jack [at] shadowworldinvestigations [dot] org II LinkedIn II Twitter: @Jack_Cinamon
Tereza Corradi is a senior analyst at the DefSec Innovation Hub and a research team member in the Defence & Procurement team at ITSS Verona. Her interest is in improving the accessibility of conflict-related data for policy and fieldwork. Email: ter [dot] corradi [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Esmée de Bruin is a PhD candidate at the University of Amsterdam. She focuses on the effectiveness of arms control. With a background in international economics and international law, she addresses the functioning of treaties, the influence of the Arms Trade Treaty on arms trade, and arms export control regimes with a multidisciplinary research approach. Email: jkaedebruin [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Marta Durin is a peace and disarmament advocate specializing in humanitarian disarmament and social communications. She coordinates the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)’s international disarmament group and works with the ICBL-CMC. In 2024, she was selected by UNODA for the Youth Leader Fund on nuclear disarmament. Email: martadurin [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Chi Fang is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California, San Diego. He studies grand strategy and weapons acquisitions. He is a dissertation fellow at the UC IGCC and a Hans Morgenthau Predoctoral Fellow at the University of Notre Dame. Email: c1fang [at] ucsd [dot] edu || LinkedIn
Luís C. Farias is pursuing a multidisciplinary Masters degree focusing on Conflict, Peace, & Security at the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID). As a research affiliate at the InterAgency Institute, he has engaged in international negotiations for the regulation of autonomous weapon systems. He recently joined Red SEHLAC Jovenés, which focus on human security in Latin America and the Caribbean. Email: luiscampani [at] protonmail [dot] ch II LinkedIn II Portfolio
Ida Andenæs Galtung is a PhD candidate at the University of Oslo and holds a master's degree in law from the same university. She previously worked as an advisor in the Legislation Department in the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance, and as a research assistant in the Research Services Section in the Norwegian Parliament. Email: i [dot] m [dot] a [dot] galtung [at] jus [dot] uio [dot] no II LinkedIn
Melanie García Flores is a subject-matter consultant at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, where she works on topics related to weapons and ammunition management. Previously, she worked at UNODC and other governmental institutions in Mexico. She holds a Master in Law, Economics and Management in International Security Politics from the Université Catholique de Lille. Email: melaniegarciafl [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Niamh Gillen is an explosive violence researcher at Action on Armed Violence, where she focuses on civilian harm caused by explosive weapons. Prior to joining, she worked as a research assistant within King's College London’s Centre for the Study of Divided Societies. She holds an MA in Strategic Communications from King’s College London. Email: niamhr [dot] gillen [at] gmail [dot] com II LinkedIn
Allie Hansen is an intern at the Center for International Policy where she works on the Security Assistance Monitor – an initiative to improve transparency and accountability of U.S. security assistance and arms sales. She also serves as injury prevention lead at the Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective. Email: alliechansen [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Monalisa Hazarika is strategic communications and partnership officer at the SCRAP Weapons Project of SOAS University of London and holds an M.A. in Conflict Management and Development from Banaras Hindu University, India. Her area of focus is SALWs, especially improvised and craft-produced weapons, ATT, additive manufacturing, and the nexus of illicit trafficking of arms and narcotics in South & Southeast Asia. Email: haza [dot] mona [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Bailey Henwood is an assistant professor at Trent University in Peterborough, Canada. She holds a PhD in Defence and Security from Cranfield University, with expertise in SALW identification and intelligence investigations. She is a technical advisor for the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners (AFTE) and works as a consultant with Conflict Armament Research on cooperative efforts in serial number marking and recovery practices. Email: baileyhenwood [at] trentu [dot] ca II LinkedIn
Zain Hussain is a researcher in the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme, focusing on the MENA region. He worked at the British American Security Information Council (BASIC) as a Quaker Peace and Social Witness peaceworker and at Moody’s ESG, focusing on controversial weapons activity. Email: zain [dot] hussain [at] sipri [dot] org II LinkedIn
Dominika Iwan-Sojka PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Silesia in Katowice and a former research fellow at the T.M.C. Asser Institute. Her research concerns the humanitarian and human rights impacts of dual-use export and the role of transparency in military applications of artificial intelligence (AI). Email: dominika [dot] iwan [at] us [dot] edu [dot] pl II LinkedIn
Stephanie Meciar is a PhD candidate in Global Health Policy at the School of Public Health, The University of Queensland. Her research examines the commercial determinants of the global arms industry and impacts for population health and equity. Email: s [dot] meciar [at] uq [dot] edu [dot] au || LinkedIn || @stephmeciar.bsky.social
Selma Mustafić is a research assistant at the Department of Peace and Conflict at Uppsala University. Her work focuses on due diligence in the arms sector, the military-industrial complex, and has included roles at SIPRI and UNIDIR. Email: selma [dot] w [at] outlook [dot] com || LinkedIn
Abongile Nkamisa is a lawyer at Open Secrets, working on corporate accountability in the arms trade. She holds an LLM from UCT and is completing an LLM in Public International Law at the University of London. Email: ankamisa [at] opensecrets [dot] org [dot] za || @AbongileNkamisa || LinkedIn
Amanda Pereira is a UNODC counter-terrorism intern and BASIC consultant focused on arms control. She holds an MA in International Public Affairs (CEU) and a BA in International Relations. Amanda previously worked at Brazil’s SEC AML/CFT/CPF center, SCRAP Weapons, and the Global Coalition to End Wildlife Crime. Her research focuses on emerging technologies, transnational crime, and climate-security risks. Email: [email protected] || LinkedIn
Chiara Rosellini is a project consultant at Tech 4 Tracing where she supports development of AI-powered solutions for detecting explosive ordnance and illicit arms. She previously worked at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). She holds a LLM in International Law of Armed Conflict and Human Rights from the Geneva Academy and a Master in International Relations from the University of Milan. Email: chiara [dot] rosellini92 [at] gmail [dot] com || LinkedIn
Suzie Shefeni is a Mandela Rhodes Scholar pursuing a MA in International Relations at the
University of Cape Town. Her interests include risk, security, new weapons and disarmament. Her
master’s research studies African perspectives on the regulation of autonomous weapons systems. |
Email: suzieshefeni [at] gmail [dot] com | LinkedIn || @suzieshefeni.bsky.social
University of Cape Town. Her interests include risk, security, new weapons and disarmament. Her
master’s research studies African perspectives on the regulation of autonomous weapons systems. |
Email: suzieshefeni [at] gmail [dot] com | LinkedIn || @suzieshefeni.bsky.social
Sannimari Veini holds an LL.M. degree and previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Justus Liebig University Giessen and was an Associated Researcher at CBWNet and PRIF, focusing on chemical and biological weapons and the interaction of the disarmament regimes with other fields of international law. Email: sannimari [dot] veini [at] gmail [dot] com II LinkedIn