Team Members

Elisa von Joeden-Forgey is Executive Director of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. She was formerly the Endowed Chair in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College, where she designed, founded, and directed the Master’s Program in Genocide Prevention and Human Security. Before this, she was the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Associate Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University in New Jersey, where she also directed the master’s program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and founded the world’s first academic, graduate-level Genocide Prevention Certificate Program. She is former President of Genocide Watch, former First Vice President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and co-founder of the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention. She has conducted trainings in genocide and its prevention for the Zoryan Institute, the Auschwitz Institute for Genocide Prevention, and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in collaboration with West Point.

She earned her MA and PhD degrees in History from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA degree with honors in History and African Studies from Columbia University.

Nathalie is currently studying World Politics at Leiden University in the Hague.

Emily (she/her) holds a Master’s in Sociology from Warwick University specialising in Genocide Studies and modes of meaning making in cultural memorialisation. A Teacher of Literature for ten years, Emily’s writing focuses on the boundaries of protest and art, and the experience of anguished identity in the context of cultural diaspora.

Milena is a Palestinian, Armenian and Iranian human rights lawyer and researcher specialized in international criminal law and transitional justice.

Narod holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Her academic research examined the lived experiences and historical narratives of diasporic communities in the Middle East.

A researcher & practitioner in international criminal law and the prevention of genocide in Southeast
Asia's geographically vulnerable areas, notably Bangladesh and Myanmar, as well as a lawyer for the
Supreme Court of Bangladesh. He received an LL.M., a PhD in international criminal law and a PGD
in genocide studies. In addition, he earned the Auschwitz Institute for the Prevention of Genocide and
Mass Atrocity's Prevention course. His areas of study are expertise and innovative skill in
international criminal law and genocide prevention studies in the particular fields.  His numbers of
book chapters and papers that have been published in international periodicals. Additionally, he
concentrated on strategies for preventing genocide measures, including training, pedagogy, and public
awareness campaigns at both the class of the elite and the grassroots. He advocated a transitional
justice process and institutional reforms, as well as a memory and memorial of Bangladesh's past
atrocities and genocide.

Hasna is a criminal and human rights lawyer with a background in criminal litigation. She holds an LLB (Hons) from the University of London and has collaborated with multiple non-profit organisations on advocacy and research initiatives in Sudan and Sierra Leone, focusing on issues such as gender-based violence and corporal punishment.

Melissa (she/her), holds a Bachelor’s degree in Comparative and European Law and earned her Master’s degree cum laude in International Law with a specialisation in Human Rights from Maastricht University.

Mayya Chaykina is a master’s student in law at Sciences Po Paris. Having previously studied law and politics at Cornell University and at the undergraduate college of Sciences Po, her primary focus is on international criminal law and public international law.

South African artist-educator, scholar, and group analytic practitioner based in the Netherlands. President of the Board of the Center for Nonviolent Communication; Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and the Institute of Education and Social Equity; Executive Editor of the Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Journal.

Catherine is a PhD candidate in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen, specializing in ethics as it relates to young people. Ordained as a Minister of Word & Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she serves a progressive congregation in Washington State.

A Bangladesh-born American engineering professional with a fervent passion for promoting human rights, inclusivity, and equality for all. He studied Aerospace Engineering and works in the aircraft industry, while regularly writing op-eds and columns related to human rights and the political situation in Bangladesh, and participating in podcasts. With a primary focus on South Asia, his research and work on human rights aim to bridge the diplomatic world with local governments, with the goal of preventing human rights violations and improving diplomatic relations.

Lyusi holds a BSc degree in Criminology and Psychology from Keele University, with her dissertation centred around Forgiveness and Restorative Justice.

Émilie Weidl holds an Honours Degree in Political Science from the University of Windsor, a dual Bachelor of Civil Law and JD from McGill University, and Masters of Philosophy Degree in Law from the University of Oxford.

Emerging professional in human rights and advocacy. With aspirations to go to law school, she looks forward to working with the Institute to build her expertise in genocide prevention.

Nathalie Qawasmi is a PhD candidate in Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Aydin University, specializing in the Palestinian question and broader Middle East affairs. She holds a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Jordan.

Alex is currently studying International Relations at the University of Edinburgh. He is particularly interested in international security and proxy wars with middle-power intervention across sub-Saharan Africa.