Mentors
DRA.
REZARTA
BILALI
Associate Professor of Psychology and Social Intervention at New York University. Dr. Bilali holds a PhD in Social Psychology with a concentration in peace and violence from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Her research focuses on the social psychological factors underlying mass violence, the role of historical narratives in collective action for social change; and the development and evaluation of interventions to promote intergroup reconciliation, with a focus on narrative interventions. Her research has been developed in Albania, Burundi, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Turkey, and the United States. +Info
MACIEJ DACHOWSKI
Political Affairs Officer, International Center for Behavioral Perspectives on Countering Terrorism at the United Nations Counterterrorism Office in Doha, Qatar, where he leads the Capacity Development Portfolio. He leads behavioral insights-based programs developed and implemented in Central Asia, MENA, and Africa. Mr. Dachowski is an international expert in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism, using the power of behavioral insights and community-led initiatives. +Info
DR.
BOAZ
HAMEIRI
Senior Professor and Head of the Conflict Management and Mediation Program at Tel Aviv University. His research program focuses on the study of different psychological barriers to conflict resolution and social change; as well as the development of psychological interventions to address these barriers and promote better intergroup relations. In his research, he uses a mixed approach with several qualitative and quantitative methods, in the laboratory and on a large scale in the field. He has worked in diverse contexts and with populations around the world, in collaboration with a wide network of international collaborators. He was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Peace and Conflict Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Postdoctoral Innovation Fellow at Beyond Conflict. +Info
DR.
NAFEES
HAMID
He is a cognitive scientist of political violence. He conducts interviews and psychology and neuroscience studies on people from extremist organizations. He is the Research and Policy Director of XCEPT at King's College London, which looks at the role of trauma and mental health in pathways to peace versus violence in fragile and conflict-affected states.
EVAN
NESTERAK
He is the editor-in-chief of the Behavioral Scientist. Expert in science-based communication for social change. In 2013, he co-founded the non-profit psychology news website The Psych Report and in 2016 he helped launch the Philadelphia Behavioral Science Initiative. He also researches youth development in sport and is working with the U.S. Soccer Federation to understand the psychological development of players in their Development Academy. Previously, he researched character development with Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania. +Info
DRA.
MAREIKE
SCHOMERUS
Vice Presidenta de Voz e Impacto en Busara. Her research explores ways to unpack the many layers of human emotions, memories, experiences and actions—what she calls the ‘mental landscape’— and applies these insights, through smart collaborations with implementing actors, to improve how policies can equitably support people from different backgrounds and walks of life and facilitate needed systemic change towards fairer societies. She seeks to better understand challenges in governance, fragility and violent conflict by including behavioral science in analysis and implementation and thinking on how to more generally transform development engagement in situations of violence conflict or its aftermath. +Info
DR.
KENNETH
PATRICK
REIDY
Program Management Officer at the United Nations International Center for Behavioral Perspectives on Counter-Terrorism. He is an expert in preventing extremism and deradicalization. He is the author of “Benevolent Radicalization: An Antidote to Terrorism.” +Info
DR.
MARTIN
WAEHLISCH
Leader of the Innovation Cell in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs at the United Nations Secretariat. He is an expert in the use of technologies. He is an expert in the use of behavioral sciences for foresight, futures thinking, and imagination. He has a doctorate in International Law, is a negotiation expert from Harvard University, and has been a professor and visiting researcher at the universities of Cambridge, Columbia University, Durham University, Johns Hopkins, among other prestigious institutions around the world. +Info
DRA.
SANDRA
POLANÍA-REYES
Holds a PhD in Behavioral Economics from University College London (UK) and a PhD in Political Economy from the University of Siena (Italy). She is currently an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Navarra and a research associate at the Navarra Center for International Development. Her work focuses on how social norms, trust, cooperation, and other prosocial behaviors influence economic decisions, using experimental methods to analyze decision-making in real-world contexts. Her interests include leadership, teamwork, migration, integration, peacebuilding, reconciliation, and social assistance, always aiming to bridge the gap between theory and practice to address real-world policy challenges.
DR.
JAIRO
MATALLANA
Manager of the Rule of Law and Crisis Response Area of ​​UNDP Colombia. He is responsible for leading the strategic and programmatic work of UNDP on issues of access to justice, citizen security, human rights, transitional justice and early recovery. He was a technical specialist of the crisis prevention and recovery cluster at the UNDP Regional Centre in Panama, where he supervised regional citizen security projects for Central America, provided advice in different countries (Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Panama), and supported the crisis response and reconstruction in Haiti. Jairo holds a double-degree PhD in Criminology (U. Kent, United Kingdom) and Law (ELTE, Hungary), an MPhil in Planning, Growth and Regeneration (U. Cambridge, United Kingdom) and a Master's in Development Studies (U. Los Andes, Colombia).
DRA.
DIANA
DAJER
Manager of Citizen Participation at Fundación Corona. She is passionate about using public and social innovation mechanisms to strengthen democracy and conflict transformation. She led the Institute for Public Prosecution Studies at the Office of the Attorney General and founded and directed the company Policéntrico. She is also on the board of directors of People Powered and has been president of the board of directors of Build Up. Her work has been recognized with awards such as the LASA/Oxfam America Martin Diskin Dissertation Award. She holds a PhD in socio-legal studies from the University of Oxford.
DR.
PABLO
ABITBOL
He is a doctor in political economy, a political scientist, and a professor at the Technological University of Bolívar in Cartagena. Member of the Montes de María Regional Space for Peace Construction, his research is interested in the situated study of collective memory, social learning, behavioral transformation, cultural change, and polycentric governance; market design (mainly local and regional food systems), and deliberative democracy. +info.
Special Guests
SANTIAGO
SILVA
JARAMILLO
He currently serves as the Secretary of Citizen Culture of Medellín. From 2016 to 2019, he was the Deputy Secretary of Cultural Citizenship in Medellín, and until 2024, he worked as a professor at EAFIT University.
JUAN
ESTEBAN
URIBE
Political scientist from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, specialist in the legal framework for innovation from the Universidad Externado de Colombia. He has served as the coordinator of the Public Policy for Strengthening Social Organizations in Medellín, head of the GovTech Lab of Medellín - MedeINN, and head of the City Lab in Bogotá. He is currently an Advisor in Digital Transformation and Public Innovation at the General Secretariat of the Bogotá Mayor's Office.
GABO
AGUDELO
Senior Behavioral Designer at BeWay. A marketing professional with a specialization in Strategic Design and Innovation from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, currently pursuing an MSc in Humanities with a research focus in Behavioral Sciences. With over 7 years of experience as a service designer for retail, insurance companies, neobanks, and traditional banks, they have also served as a consultant in creativity, innovation, and design for the retail and insurance sectors, including companies like C.I Hermeco, Dollarcity, Crystal, Saavy Nutrition, among others. At BeWay, they develop behavioral design methodologies and user research to create products that improve people's well-being and lives.