Maria is a Fellow in the Peace and Security section at the Global Governance Institute. Her research and work are focused on peacebuilding and international development, countering organised crime and terrorism, violent extremism, the risks and impact of misinformation and disinformation, and forms of governance of non-state armed groups.
Currently, she is an MSc Candidate in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics & Political Science in the UK. Previously, she was the Programme Manager of the Institute for Economics & Peace for Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, where she developed experience in resilience-building, capacity enhancement, and in the peace, security, and development nexus. Maria has received training in diverse areas, such as EU Development & Project Management (Vocal Europe 2019), Conflict Transformation (LSE 2023), and Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation through Human Rights Education (Council of Europe 2021). She holds a BA in Global Communication with a Minor in European Peace and Security Studies and a BA in International Affairs from Vesalius College in Brussels, Belgium.