Agora has been made possible by the ideas and energy of countless people. Our thanks go to everyone who has contributed to our project and we hope that our number will continue to grow as we progress on our journey.
Pascal Roelcke – Chair
Pascal has been Chair of Agora since its inception in 2017. He became a Senior Research Executive in Public Affairs at IpsosUK, following time working for the Centre for Public Impact. He studied International Relations and Postcolonial Studies in Geneva, Istanbul and London.
[email protected] | @Pascal_Roelcke
John McStravick – Vice-Chair
When not involved with Agora, John is a researcher at Queen’s University Belfast, where his work focuses on Brexit and borders. Prior to this, he followed UK and EU politics for a political monitoring company and spent some time in the think tank and NGO sectors. He holds an MA in International Relations and European Politics from the University of Bath, having previously studied in York and Regensburg, Germany. His interests include the EU’s relations with its neighbourhood, trade, and geopolitical trends.
[email protected] | @JS_McStravick
Ellen Groom – Treasurer
Since graduating with a degree in Business and Law from University College Dublin, Ellen shares her time working as a legal analyst and running Agora’s regional group in Belfast. She has a particular passion for human rights and social justice, having been involved in development and education in both India and Tanzania and has brought these interests to her previous work in Irish foreign affairs. She looks forward learning more during her upcoming LLM in Public International Law at the University of Leiden.
Grace Hillerby – Co-Head of Defence & Security Programme
Grace holds a degree in Politics and International Relations from the LSE and is pursuing an MSc in Conflict Studies, also at the LSE. She has held various positions researching for UK-based non-profits. Her research interests include far-right extremism, and Europe’s commitment to peacebuilding and the prevention of violent conflict.
Jack Sargent – Co-Head of Defence & Security Programme
Jack is a graduate of LSE’s History of International Relations MSc programme, where he focused primarily on Middle Eastern security issues. His research interests include terrorism, conflict and nuclear proliferation.
Saxony Anders – Co-Head of Democracy & Governance Programme
Saxony’s undergraduate degree is Philosophy with Economics from the New College of the Humanities, London. She is studying Arabic with SOAS. Her research interests include foreign policy in the Middle East, radicalisation, and the ethics of the War on Terror.
Ella Deleersnyder – Co-Head of Democracy & Governance Programme
Ella has experience in the field of policy analysis, political risk assessments, crisis management, and international cooperation. She currently works to support the UK’s green transition. Ella holds a double Masters degree in International Affairs from Sciences Po Paris and the LSE. Her studies reflect her interest in conflict resolution, post-conflict peacebuilding, and democratic transitions.
Micheil Page – Head of Energy & Climate Programme
Micheil has an MSc in Global Energy and Climate Policy from SOAS, University of London, where he specialised on climate mitigation policy and the Arctic. He also holds a BA in Development Studies and Geography, also from SOAS. He has worked in policy and research, both at Agora and at the Polar Research and Policy Initiative (PRPI). His current interests are in Climate Diplomacy and bridging the gap between science and policy.
Anna Chirniciuc – Co-Head of Europe Programme
Anna is pursuing a law conversion and intends to specialise in data security. She holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford. Her research has focused on the UN Security Council, peacekeeping missions, and diversity in IR intellectual histories.
[email protected] | @anna_chirni
Ed Grayson – Co-Head of Europe Programme
Ed studies history at the University of Oxford. His research interests include Britain’s future relationship with the EU, concepts of European identity, and the bloc’s current relations with the United States, China, and the Middle East. Upon graduating, he intends to pursue further study in international relations.
Jennifer Cox – – Co-Head of Identities Programme
Serena Dwerryhouse – Co-Head of Identities Programme
Serena studied modern history at the University of St Andrews, specialising in genocide and ethnic cleansing. She has undertaken research focused on gendered violence. She is pursuing a law conversion.
Hannah Kuehn – Co-Head of Migration Programme
Hannah holds an MSc in Migration, Mobility and Development from SOAS, University of London, in which she specialised in the technology-migration nexus. Before moving to London, she completed her BSc in Public Governance across Borders at the University of Münster, Germany and University of Twente, Netherlands. She currently works for a charity as a responder to modern slavery.
Shona Warren – Co-Head of Migration Programme
Shona holds a Masters of International Relations, where she specialised in security studies, and a BA in French and Politics from the University of Melbourne. She has a background in community outreach and migrant rights policy, having spent a number of years in the NGO sector in Australia and Nepal. Now based in London, Shona works in international development.
[email protected] | @shonajwarren
Margaret Smith – co-Head of Agora NI
Ben Abbott – Head of Agora London
Ben first joined Agora as a Project Associate through the LSE’s Summer internship programme. When not focusing on Outreach for Agora, he is reading Politics and International Relations Student at the LSE. His research interests include Europe, identities, and democracy.
Jamie Shenk – Head of Agora South East
Jamie is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the lingering effects of armed conflict on local participation and social mobilization, using Colombia as a case study. Prior to starting her PhD, she worked on Latin American policy in Washington D.C and natural resources management at a consultancy in the UK. She holds an MSc in Latin American Studies from Oxford and a BA in History from Princeton University.
[email protected] | @jlshenk11
Clara Korsgren – Head of Communications
Clara holds a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Cambridge and is currently studying International Social and Public Policy at the LSE. Before joining Agora, Clara worked with communications and advocacy at the Swedish government and the UN.
Lauren Atkins – Head of Editorial Board
Lauren has worked in political monitoring, across a range of sectors, specialising in UK education and welfare policy. She studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Bath where she graduated with a First. Her dissertation investigated the international approach to the problem of child soldiers in modern conflict. She has also worked in the civil service. In her spare time she enjoys reading, playing netball, and BBC crime dramas.
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Board of Trustees
Dan Fitter
Dan leads the Defence & Security Programme at Agora. He holds an MSc in International Relations from the LSE and a BA in German and Russian from the University of Bristol. Dan’s research interests include UK-European future partnership policy, CSDP, and Russian foreign policy. Outside of Agora, Dan works in strategy consulting.
Jack Ithell – Head of Communications
Since studying Politics and then International Relations at the University of Sheffield, Jack has held communications and development positions at a number of non-profits. He currently works in the Campaigns team at Médecins Sans Frontières.
[email protected] | @jackithell1
Laura Knöpfel
Laura is a PhD candidate and visiting lecturer at King’s College London. She just spent several months in the Colombian coal mining region for her research on the accountability of commodity enterprises. Previously she worked for various human rights organisations in Switzerland and Colombia. She holds a MSc in Law and Anthropology from the LSE, and a BA in Social Sciences and Law from the University of Bern. Laura is a long-time member of Foraus and has published on EU-Swiss relations, Islam in Switzerland, and the Corporate Justice Initiative.
Preetbir Pasricha
Preeti graduated from the LSE with BSc in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Her research interests include belonging, participatory governance, and communities, particularly of the diaspora. She has a background working with education charities. Outside of Agora, she works as a consultant in the government and public sector.
Rozalie Ryclova
Rozalie is an entrepreneur in cleantech and sustainability, co-founder and director of Thermulon (start-up developing novel insulation materials for buildings). Rozalie’s academic background is in Land Economy (University of Cambridge). In Agora, Rozalie works with the Energy & Climate programme and supports the board of Trustees with her operational experience.
Theebika Shanmugarasa
Theebika is a Research Executive at Ipsos MORI’s Social Research Institute. She primarily works on policies concerning employment, welfare, and skills, which includes research on Brexit. She is also currently part of the evaluation team, conducting research on the refugee resettlement schemes in the UK. She has previously worked in charities, the civil service and the US embassy. Theebika holds an MA in Contemporary European Studies from the University of Bath. She speaks fluent German and Tamil, with a good knowledge of French and Spanish.
Kathrin Wartmann
Kathrin brings several years of political grassroots and think tank experience to Agora. She used to work for Foraus – Switzerland’s first and only grassroots think tank and Agora’s sister organisation in Zurich – and she is a co-founder and former member of the board of Operation Libero, a Swiss political movement with over 1000 members. Today, Kathrin works as an Associate for a consultancy specialising in political, sustainability, and stakeholder risks facing natural resource investments. She holds an MSc in Security Studies from UCL.
Abigail Watson
Outside of Agora, Abigail is a research officer in a charity focusing on defence issues. She has worked in charities and think tanks in London for the last two years. Abigail holds an MA (with Distinction) in Contemporary European Studies, with a trans-Atlantic track, from the University of Bath and a BA in Politics from the University of York.
Dennis West