Esther de Paula Garcia, Brazil, is an MA student in the Social and Policy Aspects of Climate Change Program at Tel Aviv University. She received her BA in Liberal Arts and Science from Tel Aviv University’s International School, where she concentrated her studies in Philosophy and Psychology. She has been an active participant in TAUMUN (Tel Aviv University Model UN), where she engaged in simulations of diplomatic negotiations on various global issues.
Joan Anyango Otieno, Kenya, served as the secretary-general of Uzima Community-Based Organization in Kenya to support vulnerable and marginalized communities. She is passionate about human rights, advancing social justice, and contributing to meaningful dialogue on pressing global issues. She is currently pursuing an MA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Tel Aviv University. Her research focuses on understanding how certain endogenous sphingolipids are positively or negatively involved in the inflammatory process.
Kurt Mueller, United States, is an MA student in the Security and Diplomacy Program at Tel Aviv University. After obtaining a BA in both International Studies and German from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he left the United States to travel and live abroad, visiting over 100 countries and crossing four continents by motorcycle while working as a language and literature tutor in China. Kurt is passionate about people, language, and culture the world over and hopes to bring concrete experience and academic study together into a career in international affairs and diplomacy.
Song Linjuan, China, is an MA student in the Security and Diplomacy Program at Tel Aviv University. She holds a BA in English from Hubei University of Technology. Deeply interested in the historical and cultural bonds between China and Israel, she aims to apply the insights she gains on democracy and human rights to further mutual understanding between China and Israel.
Miguel Leboso Moriano, Spain, is an MA student in the Security and Diplomacy Program at Tel Aviv University. He holds a BA in History from the University of Navarra in Pamplona. He is deeply interested in international relations and contemporary global challenges.
Felicia Ferdinand, Germany, is pursuing an LL.M. in International Law with a specialization in Human Rights at Tel Aviv University. She completed her LL.B. with a specialization in Public International Law at the University of Potsdam. Her research interests focus on human rights, democratic values, and mechanisms of international legal accountability.
Hong Yubei, China, is an MA student in Sustainable Development at Tel Aviv University. She earned her BA in Marketing in China and later worked in the tech sector as a data analyst. Afterward, she spent a year in Australia on a working holiday visa, combining work with travel and gaining firsthand exposure to different cultures and social settings.
Nancye Kochen, Australia, is completing her MA thesis in the Security and Diplomacy Program at Tel Aviv University. She holds a BA in global studies, specializing in international relations, from Monash University, and is passionate about human rights advocacy and Jewish education. Nancye currently works at the English Desk of Davar newspaper and has a background in education in both Australia and Israel.
Araz Can Dikme, Turkey, is an MA student in the Security and Diplomacy Program at Tel Aviv University. He holds a BA in English Language and Literature and a minor in Political Science from Hacettepe University. Interested in conflict resolution and the impacts of conflicts on local cultures in frontier zones, he has completed courses and earned certificates in international logistics to better understand how humanitarian aid can be delivered to war zones.
Maria Ellul, Malta, is a doctoral student at Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science. She holds a BA in Criminology from the University of Malta and an MA in Security and Diplomacy Studies from Tel Aviv University. Her research examines the international dimensions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly its influence on antisemitism and political campaigning through social media. She recently completed a research fellowship at Goethe University, Frankfurt and the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), where she applied machine learning methods to analyze the longitudinal evolution of narrative framing in United Nations’ resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She has been an intern at the Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center (ICRC) at Tel Aviv University for over a year and a half, supporting the organization of the center’s three annual conferences on cybersecurity, AI, and defense technologies.
