Naoufel Gaied joined the IIJ team in October 2024 as the Director of the Academic Unit. As a member of the IIJ’s management team, he oversees the Institute’s academic work. His unit aims to strengthen the capacities of countries in counterterrorism, notably through the establishment of excellence modules to combat terrorism and transnational crime. Before joining the IIJ team, Naoufel Gaied led the Mission to Combat Violent Radicalization at the French Ministry of Justice. Having joined the Ministry of Justice in 2023, Naoufel developed 13 years of expertise in juvenile justice issues before engaging in counterterrorism efforts for 9 years within both the Ministries of Interior and Justice.

Winthrop currently leads the Programmatic Unit team in designing and implementing programs for counterterrorism practitioners and policymakers across Africa, the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific, and beyond. He joined the IIJ in 2018, and since then has led the IIJ’s work on Battlefield Evidence, in addition to working on topics including Artificial Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Intelligence to Evidence, the Nexus between Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime, and Accountability for International Crimes.

In his previous roles, Winthrop was the Director of Planning and Assessment for Women without Borders, an NGO working to counter violent extremism across the world, and an Engagement Manager for McKinsey & Company focused on Aerospace and Defense. He received his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Princeton University and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

Reinhard Uhrig, a political scientist, joined the IIJ in 2014 as one of its earliest staff and has since played an integral role in its institutional development. As Director of Outreach and Administration and member of the senior management, he leads the IIJ’s external engagement with governments and international partners, and also oversees the Institute’s administration, financial management, and strategic planning. Before joining the IIJ, Reinhard served as Programme Coordinator and Deputy Head of the Action against Terrorism Unit at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), where he directed counter-terrorism programmes and led a multinational team. He also held positions with the Representative Office of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ramallah and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna and Tashkent, focusing on international security cooperation.