Consultancies and Applied Projects

Environmental Law Institute – Environmental Peacebuilding Program (Washington, DC) May 2019 – Present

Researcher for an environmental peacebuilding research program that examines the role of natural resource management in conflict prevention, mitigation, resolution, and recovery to build resilience in communities affected by conflict worldwide.

• Production of materials for the Gender, Natural Resources, Climate & Peace knowledge platform, co-produced by the Joint Programme on Women, Natural Resources, and Peace, a partnership between UN Environment, UN Women, the UN Development Programme, and the UN Peacebuilding Support Office.
• Conducting research, analysis and report writing on post-conflict natural resource management.
• Evaluation of conflict sensitivity of GEF-funded (Global Environment Facility) projects in conflict- affected countries.

Assistance Mission for Africa and UN Mission in South Sudan (South Sudan & Uganda) Aug 2018 – Present

Board of Directors Member – Director of Research and International Engagement

• International Consultant for baseline evaluation of current community and government-level peacebuilding initiatives.
  • In-country field research in South Sudan (multiple sites) and with South Sudanese refugees in Kampala and Kiryandongo refugee settlement (Uganda).
  • Facilitation of gender-inclusive & participatory tools at Peace Conferences and other peacebuilding initiative celebrated throughout South Sudan.
  • Training on Conflict Analysis to groups of refugee youth peace leaders in Kiryandongo, Uganda.
  • Consultations with community and institutional stakeholders in South Sudan and Uganda.
  • Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data.
  • Preparation of field report.

The University of Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia) December 2017 – April 2018

International Consultant for collaborative Community Action Research (CAR) project to diagnose, prevent and mitigate violence among “at risk youth” from Middle Eastern (e.g. Iran, Iraq, Syria) migrant communities currently living in Georgia.

• Supervise in-country pilot study.
  • Conduct analysis of normative and legal migration frameworks.
  • Conduct evaluation of transitional justice mechanisms (e.g. “restoration of justice” for politically motivated crimes, loss of property, and abuses in the prison system).
  • Develop and impart training seminars on field research methodology, research design, and monitoring and evaluation as relevant for the successful completion of the Pilot Study and subsequent stages of the larger project.
  • Organize participating faculty/graduate students from the University of Georgia into working Research Teams. Supervise the activities of the Research Teams.
  • Assist in drafting the grant proposal to be submitted to USAID.
  • Facilitate communications between USAID and the University of Georgia.

Peace Direct (London, UK) 2017

Subject Matter Expert for a Collaborative Consultation on Peacebuilding and Violent Extremism, involving 118 expert participants from 36 countries.

• Utilize text analysis to examine participants’ responses,
  • Author the section on “Defining Violent Extremism”.
  • Collaborate on overall technical report production.

Social Impact, (Ethiopia) 2016-2017

Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, Gender Expert, and Team Leader for a Performance Evaluation implemented as part of USAID/Ethiopia’s “Building the Potential of Youth Project”.

• Use mixed methods (qualitative, quantitative) to gather baseline evaluation data on “at-risk youth” of various ethnic & religious backgrounds in 18 sites across the 6 main Ethiopian regions.
  • Co-deliver out-briefing to USAID, Save the Children, and Social Impact staff, and other stakeholders at US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Analyze data and co-authored report.

Social Impact (Arlington, VA) 2016

Technical Proposal Writer & Subject Matter Expert for a USAID’s Request for Task Order Proposal (RFTOP) “Latin America & Caribbean Youth Violence Prevention”.

• Drafted technical content
  • Provided personnel, partner and resource organization recommendations as needed.
  • Provided inputs on management plan and personnel structure based on technical content.
  • Participated in revision team meetings and debriefed on the working draft.
  • Prepared final draft of assigned sections.

International Institute for Child Rights and Development (Chad and Burundi) 2014 – 2016

Senior Research Associate for a UNICEF-commissioned Implementation Evaluation leading to capacity-building projects promoting social cohesion, inter-faith dialogue, and local approaches to non-violent conflict resolution. Analysis of drivers of radicalization and violence among Muslim and Christian youth in Chad and Burundi, and Muslim Central African refugees in Chad.

• Proposal writing.
  • Literature review & preliminary desk study.
  • Analysis of domestic and international legal and normative frameworks on child rights.
  • Theory of change.
  • In-country (Burundi, Chad) field research.
  • Data gathering and analysis.
  • System mapping and outcome mapping.
  • Facilitation of local training workshops in Burundi and Chad.
  • Participation in working meetings at African Child Policy Forum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
  • Briefing Burundian and Chadian Government, UNICEF and other institutional stakeholders.

UNICEF (New York City, NY) 2014

Short-term Consultant for a project on “Action Research on Community Groups, Child Protection and Peacebuilding”, including:

• Theory of change.
• Monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Field survey.
• Analysis of research findings.
• Presentation of psychosocial approaches.

IOM (Juba, South Sudan) 2012-2013

Principal Investigator for a field-based evaluation of the role of displaced youth in repatriation processes in post- independence South Sudan, focusing on the re-integration of displaced male and female youngsters from various ethnic and diasporic backgrounds.

• Collaborated with the University of Juba’s Center for Peace and Development Studies.
• Combined qualitative, quantitative and participatory field methods with IOM data to investigate the concept of “sustainable return”.
• Produced a report, “MRS N°47 – Displaced Youth’s Role in Sustainable Return: Lessons from South Sudan”, published by IOM in 2013.

Center for Peace and Development, University of Juba (Juba, South Sudan) 2011-2013

Independent Consultant/Subject Matter Expert

• Revised curricula and course offerings for the University of Juba’s Peace and Development program.
• Trained a team of advanced local students on field research methods.
• Conducted field research on a variety of issues related to the role of youth in contexts of violent conflict and forced displacement with a focus of gender and inter-generational dynamics.
• Published 1 book, 6 additional book chapters, and 9 scholarly articles based on this field research.

ESRC: Economic and Social Research Council (Swindon, UK) 2012

Short-term Consultant for an evaluation of a multi-year project on “Critically Analyzing Risk Communication Pathways: Lessons from Youth-centered Disaster Risk Reduction in El Salvador and the Philippines”.

• Analyzed the finding of a field research in El Salvador and the Philippines.
• Evaluated project conclusions on how young people’s voices are represented and heard in disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy and decision-making spaces,
• Evaluated project assessment of the level of capacity youngsters have for preventing disasters vis-à- vis their adult counterparts.

UNHCHR: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Geneva, Switzerland) 2020-2011

Independent Consultant – Subject Matter Expert for a project on “The Human Right to Adequate Housing in Post- Disaster Honduras”, part of a larger consultation on “The Human Right to Adequate Housing in Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Contexts”.

• Conducted legal, policy and field-based analysis.
• Produced a report a report discussing research findings.
• Presented findings at a working meeting held at the headquarters of the Office of the UNHCHR in Geneva, Switzerland.

INEE: Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (Bogotá, Colombia) 2009-2010

Independent Consultant for an INEE-UNICEF project on “Teaching and Learning in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Recovery” in Bogotá, Colombia

• Led a series of Consultative Workshops with focus on the reintegration of child soldiers.
• Produced and delivered training materials in English and Spanish.
• Drafted internal reports, in English and Spanish, analyzing findings from the consultative workshop.

AMERA: Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance (Cairo, Egypt) 2008-2010

Legal Advisor

• Provided pro bono legal advice to asylum seekers from African and Middle Eastern countries applying for asylum in Cairo, Egypt.
• Drafted training materials for the Unaccompanied Minors Division.
• Drafted first instance testimonies, appeals and closed cased files.
• Liaised between AMERA and UNHCR-Cairo.
• Advised and accompanied asylum seekers to their Refugee Status Determination interviews with UNHCR.
• Conducted fieldwork and completed a study of South Sudanese refugee youth gangs in Cairo, Egypt.