Hayl Al-Salehi is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the University of Western Ontario. His research focuses on conflict processes, rebel governance, and international engagement with non-state armed groups. His dissertation examines rebel diplomacy, asking why some rebel groups invest in diplomatic outreach, how foreign publics respond to engagement with rebels, and what consequences these efforts have for conflict dynamics and legitimacy. His broader academic and professional background centers on political violence, humanitarian contexts, and the Middle East and North Africa. Over the past few years, he has worked in research and analyst roles examining conflict trends, crisis dynamics, and humanitarian policy with several regional and international organizations. His work combines rigorous quantitative methods with a strong interest in real-world policy questions, especially those related to diplomacy, legitimacy, and conflict resolution.

Ayla Bahram is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, specializing in transitional justice. Her research examines gender, identity, negotiation, and post-conflict peacebuilding, with a focus on the experiences and political agency of Iraqi Turkmen women. She has conducted field research in Türkiye on women's experiences of conflict, displacement, and negotiation. A certified mediator and gender, peace and security specialist, Ayla has worked on conflict analysis and gender-responsive policy with the United States Institute of Peace, the International Center for Religion & Diplomacy, and UN-related initiatives. Her work aims to strengthen women's participation in peacebuilding and to translate research into policy recommendations.

Jowan Hussain is a PhD student in Political Science at the University of Western Ontario, researching conflict and terrorism. Her current work is based in Nigeria, where she investigates individual and societal recovery from political violence. Her dissertation is structured as a three-article project, analyzing civilian recovery trajectories in active conflict zones, the effects of counter-terrorism laws on violence, and moral distance as a framework for governance. Prior to entering the PhD program, Jowan carried out extensive data collection and quantitative filtering of large-scale datasets on global terrorist organizations, providing a solid empirical foundation for her current work. Jowan's goal is to generate evidence-based insights that can inform more effective and humane security policies in conflict-affected societies.

Mehar Mann is a third-year honours specialization student in Political Science. His research interests include asymmetric warfare in the 21st century, civil conflict and state (re-)building, and the political repercussions of artificial intelligence.