Advisory Board | Project Gems

Welcome to our Advisory Board section, where expertise and experience converge. Click on a member's photo to visit their dedicated page, offering a closer look at their professional journey and contributions. For more in-depth insights, select 'Read More' to uncover detailed information about each board member's background and current initiatives.

University of Leeds

Margherita Belgioioso

Margherita Belgioioso is Associate Professor at the School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, and incoming Editor in Chief of Conflict Management and Peace Science. Her primary research interests concern the dynamics and outcomes of civil wars, terrorism and non-violent resistance. Her work has been published by Routledge Politics, IR & Area Studies, Plos One, Nature Human Behavior, Journal of Peace Research, International Studies Quarterly. Her 2018 article on terrorism in mass dissident campaigns won Cedric Smith Prize from the Conflict Research Society. She received the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation Distinguished Scholar Award.

University of Birmingham

Katherine Brown

Dr Katherine E Brown is a Reader in Religion and Global Security at the University of Birmingham, UK. Her research examines the role of gender in Islamist extremism and counter terrorism. This is the focus of her book Gender, Religion, Extremism (Oxford University Press, 2020). Her policy work addresses gender mainstreaming in preventing and countering extremism. Most recently this includes grounding the rehabilitation and reintegration policies and programmes for those affiliated with terrorist organisations within gender sensitive and human rights frameworks. She is also the lead researcher on the AHRC “Humanities for Resilience” network project which brings together academics, activists, artists, and others to advance the creative and narrative contributions of the arts and humanities to societal and community resilience.

Dublin City University

Maura Conway

Maura Conway is Paddy Moriarty Professor of Government and International Studies in the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU) in Dublin, Ireland; Professor of Cyber Threats in CYTREC at Swansea University, UK; and founding Coordinator of VOX-Pol (voxpol.eu). Prof. Conway’s principal research interests are in the area of terrorism and the Internet, including cyberterrorism, the functioning and effectiveness of violent extremist online content, and online radicalisation. She is the author of over 60 articles, reports, and chapters in her specialist area(s). Her research has appeared in, amongst others, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Criminology & Public Policy, and Social Science Computer Review. Prof. Conway has presented her findings before the United Nations in New York, the Commission of the European Union in Brussels, the UK House of Lords, and elsewhere. She is a member of the Academic Steering Committee of Europol’s Counter-terrorism Centre’s Advisory Network on Terrorism and Propaganda and the Editorial Board of Terrorism and Political Violence.

Dublin City Interfaith Forum

Darren Coventry-Howlett

Darren Coventry-Howlett leads Dublin City Interfaith Forum's 'Safe Haven' project, addressing intolerance and extremism through interfaith methods. He's also Assistant Director at the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR). Previously, he served 18 years as a police sergeant in An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police, gaining extensive experience in frontline, community policing, policy, and strategy development, especially in hate and extremism policing. His postings included DMR South Central and North Central, and Kildare Garda divisions, along with specialist roles in the Garda National Community Policing Office and Diversity & Inclusion Office. Darren was the Irish OSCE/ODIHR national point of contact for combating hate crime and remains a contact for the EU Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), training internationally on hate and extremism prevention. He holds an LLM in Human Rights in Criminal Justice from the University of Limerick, an MSc in Equality Studies from UCD, an MPA in International Inspection and Oversight from John Jay College, a BA in Law and Administration of Justice, and a BA in Police Studies. A Certified Inspector General Investigator, he's passionate about human rights, equality, P/CVE, interfaith dialogue, and restorative practices, with training in mediation and restorative practices facilitation. Darren serves on the MPAIO advisory board at John Jay College and is a trustee of 'Little Blue Heroes', a charity for sick children and families.

Veiligheidsregio Noord-Holland Noord

Bastiaan Dikker

Bastiaan, with a background as a Naval/Military Police and Intelligence Officer, has evolved into an expert in addressing radicalization and extremism within Dutch municipalities over the last decade. He holds a Master's Degree in Social and Political Science and is certified as a Radicalization and Terrorism Expert. As a project manager, he primarily focuses on preventing and countering violent and political extremism, especially in youth and street cultures, in both offline and online environments. His approach involves enhancing interagency cooperation at various levels and integrating academic research with policy and practical implementation. This unique combination of experiences enables him to provide essential insights and "practical eye openers" for both researchers and frontline workers. Bastiaan's role extends to contributing to conferences and seminars, where he shares his knowledge and perspectives on combating radical ideologies in the Netherlands. As a consultant, he has significantly contributed to developing multi-agency online living labs, handbooks, and awareness campaigns, and has conducted workshops on radicalization prevention and community outreach. His diverse experience, curiosity, and policy understanding give him a unique viewpoint in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PVCE).

Cyber Peace Institute

Stéphane Duguin

Stéphane Duguin is the CEO of the CyberPeace Institute. Humanitarian, entrepreneur, investigator, he spent two decades tracking how criminals groups and terrorists organisation weaponise disruptive technologies, such as Al, against vulnerable communities. At Europol, Stephane led major international counter cybercrime, terrorism and hybrid threats operations, and investigated threat actors deploying cyberattacks, illegal content and disinformation techniques. Stephane leads the CyberPeace Institute to provide free cybersecurity for the most vulnerable and hold threat actors to account for the harms they cause. Stéphane Duguin sits on the Board of the Datasphere Initiative and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Open Quantum Institute, the Global Forum on Cybercrime Expertise (GFCE), the Tech4Trust initiative, the Fighting Terrorist Content Online (FRISCO) and the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA). Stéphane has published a book, over 50 articles, book chapters, conference papers, and commentary essays exploring themes like AI, cybercrime, disinformation, and OSINT techniques. Holding numerous keynotes, he shed light on criminal innovation in the age of technology. Stéphane served in EUROPOL as senior manager in the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), the European Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), and the Europol Innovation Lab.

Trinity College Dublin

Anne Holohan

Dr Anne Holohan is Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Trinity College Dublin. Her research and teaching interests are in organizational transformation, interactionism, feminist and critical race theory, and the social impact of digital technologies. She was PI of Gaming for Peace, 2016-2019, www.gap-project.eu , H2020 project which developed a curriculum with assessment, and a serious game to train peacekeepers in gender and cultural awareness. She was PI of the TiLT (Transformation in Learning and Training) Commercialization Fund project, which has been spun out into TiLT, www.tiltroleplay.com, a campus company of which she is co-founder. TiLT develops research driven curricula, assessment and content and puts them into role-playing games to address inclusion in organizations, linking the individual and organization.

South East European University

Maja Muhic

Maja Muhic holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Ss Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, an MPhil in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. She also holds an MA in Gender and Culture, from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. In 2004 Muhic spent two months at the University of Santa Barbara, California being granted the U.S. State Department fellowship on Religion in the US: Pluralism and Public Presence. As a result of her stay there Muhic shows up as the co-author of the Encyclopedia of Global Religion (2011) edited by Mark Juergensmeyer and Wade Clark Roof. In 2008 she spent a semester at the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley being granted a Junior Faculty Development Program by the U.S. State Department. Ms Muhic has been working as a lecturer at the English Language Department, Faculty of Languages, Cultures, and Communications at the South East European University, Tetovo since 2003. Her interests fall within the area of Colonialism and Human Rights, Multiculturalism, Nationalism, and Intercultural Competencies. Muhic has published a number of articles in philosophical and anthropological journals. She participated as a guest speaker in a number of conferences throughout Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Tech Against Terrorism

Tech Against Terrorism aims to save lives by disrupting terrorist activity online and upholding human rights. Launched by the United Nations in 2017, Tech Against Terrorism was established to galvanise a sustainable and collaborative response by governments and tech companies to the online terrorist threat. The group pioneer technical approaches and develop sustainable solutions for the tech industry and governments alike. Their work involves the collection and assessment of intelligence, technical innovation, and policy advisory on counterterrorism responses. Tech Against Terrorism is an independent public-private partnership. They work with the tech sector and we are supported by the UN as well as by other international bodies including the governments of the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and Canada. Tech Against Terrorism consists of an interdisciplinary team of specialists in counterterrorism policy and human rights, open-source intelligence analysts, developers, and data scientists. Their breadth of expertise allows the group to provide comprehensive support to the global tech industry in a manner that is effective, accurate, and compliant with human rights.