Our Team
Umbreen Salim
Founder and Managing Director
Umbreen Salim is a researcher, a feminist, an activist and gender-advocate striving to contribute to efforts promoting epistemic, political and social justice. Her doctoral research, focused on challenges of integration, is with migrant women in The Netherlands. She has over 10 years of research and advocacy experience working with women and girls, particularly migrants and refugees, advocating for human-rights and social inclusion. She is a social sector development practitioner, with over 15 years of project management experience with various INGOs and Governments, across Asia, Pakistan and The Netherlands.
Sumbal Bashir
Co-founder, Director Projects
Sumbal Bashir is a feminist researcher and a development practitioner, interested in gender equality, Digital4Development, and social inclusion. She has been awarded the Fulbright scholarship (Temple University USA, 2015-16) and Policy Leader Fellowship (School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, 2020-21), and was selected as Internet Governance Forum Youth Ambassador (Internet Society) for her work on gender equality and digital inclusion
Maria Dafnomili
Maria Dafnomili
Member, Board of Directors
Maria Dafnomili is a specialist in macroeconomics. She has worked as an economic analyst in the Greek Ministry of Finance and was involved in different economic projects both in Greece and the Netherlands. UK, France, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands have been, until now, among the places of her teaching andresearch experience.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Dr. Erzsébet Strausz
Erzsébet Strausz teaches at Central European University, Vienna. She holds a PhD and her research focuses on creative, experimental and narrative methods in the study of world politics. She was awarded the British International Studies Association’s Excellence Prize in 2017 while working at the University of Warwick and the CEU Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020.
Dr. Christina Schiavoni
Christina M. Schiavoni is a food sovereignty activist and scholar who has worked in partnership with social movements across the globe. She holds masters and PhD degrees from the International Institute of Social Studies in the Netherlands. Her research, based in Venezuela, focused on co-generation of knowledge by and for social movements.
Mossarat Qadeem
Mossarat Qadeem is an internationally known expert on Women Peace and Security and has spoken thrice in the UN General Assembly and once in Security Council on the subject. She is co-founder of ‘Commonwealth Women Mediators Network’, PAIMAN Alumni Trust, and a visiting fellow at Women Peace and Security Centre, London School of Economics.
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
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Brooke Ellen Moore
Projects and Campaign Manager and Advocate
Brooke Moore is an activisit, advocate and a researcher with expertise in environmental justice. Her professional focus is in Environmental Science, Policy and Management with an emphasis in Governance, Justice and Politics. Her skills involve policy analysis, project management, and opinion writing.
Mary Stratigou
Reseach Project Manager
Mary Stratigou is a proactive and experienced human rights lawyer, researcher, analyst and author. Her focus is on human rights, refugees’ rights and politics, working with refugees and asylum-seekers. She is fluent in six languages: English, French, Spanish, Catalan, Greek and Turkish.
Zoya Waheed
Activist and Reseacher
Zoya Waheed is a feminist activist, advocate and researcher with expertise in human rights, law and gender. She is a strong voice in the fight for equality and empowerment of women and marginalised segments of society.
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS
Olga Ogula
Project Manager and Communications Expert
Olga Ogula holds Master's degree in International Relations from Central European University, Austria. Her interests lie at the intersection of human rights, migration and environmental policy. She strives for a world of peaceful co-existence with nature and a world that is welcoming to everybody. She is a fan of graphic design and enjoys making videos and infographics.
Meha Pumbay
Project Manager and Analyst
Meha Pumbay is a development economist with a focus on gender issues. Her skills include project design, monitoring and evaluation and quantitative data analysis.
Alejandro Lomba Cruces
Advocate and Reseacher
Alejandro is a policy analyst and researcher based in Belgium. He holds an LLM in Human Rights Protection, as a Law degree. He is expertizing in CSR and Sustainability. His skills include policy analysis, research and monitoring data.
SEEK - CEU Team Members
Central European University Science Shop Collaboration
Academics and students engaged with the SEEK Research, Response and Support Network
SEEK - CEU Team Members
Central European University Science Shop Collaboration
Academics and students engaged with the SEEK Research, Response and Support Network
Olivia Precious Livingstone
Olivia Precious Livingstone is a MSc. Environmental Science and Policy candidate at the Central European University-Private University (CEU-PU) Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy. She has vast knowledge in land and marine pollution, marine conservation, community engagement, and co-management associations. Olivia is one of the European Development Days’21 17 Young Global Leaders, a High Seas Youth Ambassador on the High Seas Alliance Youth Ambassador Program and a member of the upcoming IMPAC5 Young Professionals Committee.
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Mateja Zherajiki
“Mateja Zherajikj has researched various controversial and overlooked topics and is a migrant and refugee rights advocate. Her skills include research, advocacy for women’s and children’s rights, languages, and social media management. Her interests lie in peace and security, conflict resolution, human rights and her work focuses on awareness-raising and advocating towards solution-based outcomes to help those affected by war and climate-change induced natural disasters.”
Rim Affathe
"Rim Affathe is an International Relations master's student and a feminist activist. She is passionate about different topics related to human rights advocacy, women's empowerment and diplomacy. She is also interested in exploring the embodied dimension of migration and including the lived experiences in the analysis of migration."
SEEK - CEU Team Members
Central European University Science Shop Collaboration
Academics and students engaged with the SEEK Research, Response and Support Network
Dilara Bergler
Dilara Bergler is a graduate student in International Relations at the Central European University. She also holds a BA in Sociology and has a strong background in academic research. Dilara is passionate about and hopes to further evidence-based policymaking, particularly foreign policy, which is why her focus is on developing practical approaches to global challenges.
Kristina Boiakova
Kristina Boiakova is a M.A. Public Policy candidate at CEU Austria. She holds BA degree in Political Science and Interdisciplinary Media Research (NRU HSE, Moscow). She is interested in human rights issues, public policy and entrepreneurship. She was involved in various research projects and, she is passionate about finding the best solutions for contemporary policy issues within the EU and worldwide.
Audaccia Ngunza
Audacia Ngunza is a M.A. International Relations candidate at the Central European University, Austria. She holds a degree in Commercial Law and speks fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Audacia is a women rights activist and advocate. Currently conducting research with the migrant women.
Rumi Akter
Rumi Akter is a graduate from the School of Public Policy, Central European University (CEU), Budapest, Hungary, with a degree of MA in Public Policy. Rumi completed her MSS and BSS in International Relations from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.Rumi has extensive work experience both in Bangladesh and in Europe with policy and research organisations such as CIRDAP; CED, BRAC University; BILIA; IFRC; Metropolitan Research Institute; and Central European Institute for Asian Studies.Her research interests include Policy Research, International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights, Geopolitics, Climate Change, Bangladesh, and China Studies. Currently, she is based in Bangladesh. She can be reached at akter_rumi@alumni.spp.ceu.edu
Mikala McBride
Mikala McBride is currently pursuing her M.A. in International Relations at Central European University. She holds a B.A. degree in Business Economics and has experience in non-profit and international migration work. Her interests lie in economic development, migration, and engaging in diplomacy on both the global and local scale.