Paul joined the IIJ in 2022 as Project Lead for CT PHARE – Platform for Human Rights Engagement where he oversees the design and implementation of the CT PHARE project activities. Prior to joining the IIJ, Paul was a member of An Garda Síochána (Irish National Police) with over 30 years’ experience at senior leadership and management level within the criminal justice sector, law enforcement, intelligence fields, investigations into organized crime, counter-terrorism, and on security sector reform across the political and technical process of improving state, and human security by making security provision, management, and oversight more effective and more accountable. Paul was seconded by the Irish Government on several deployments during his police career, and has worked in Bosnia Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and most recently in Iraq as Head of Operations with the EU Advisory Mission on Security Sector Reform. Paul holds a Masters in Terrorism Studies and Political Violence from the University St. Andrews, Scotland.   

Francesca joined the IIJ as a Project Manager for CT PHARE – Platform for Human Rights Engagement in 2022. Prior to joining the IIJ, Francesca worked for Médecins du Monde in Italy as the Advocacy Officer, with a special focus on the access to health for migrants and asylum seekers rescued at sea and/or crossing borders. She also worked with the Siracusa International Institute for Criminal Justice and Human Rights, the International Organisation for Migration and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria. Francesca holds a postgraduate diploma in International Law and Transitional Justice from the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs at Yale University, and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Development from Sapienza University in Rome.

Mo joined the Academic Unit team in August 2021. Mo is currently completing a master’s degree in International Humanitarian Action at the University of Malta. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Calgary in Canada. Most recently, Mo completed an internship with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the International Commission on Missing Persons, and the International Organization for Migration. Mo has five years of experience as an Operations Supervisor in Logistics and Supply Chain and many experiences in humanitarian and volunteer work with a number of NGOs, such as the Red Cross and Jesuit Refugee Services in Malta, Canada and the United States.