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.
Leadership Team
Leah Rachel Rea - President | Head, Democracy and Governance Research Programme
Leah is a PhD Researcher and Teaching Assistant in the areas of UK constitutional law, devolution, human rights, and legislative studies at the Transitional Justice Institute, Ulster University in Northern Ireland. She holds a Masters in Violence, Terrorism, and Security where her thesis focused on the UK Parliament's scrutiny of fast-tracked UK Government anti-terrorism legislation. She also holds a Masters in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, in which she examined historic and contemporary human rights campaigns in Northern Ireland and UK Government compliance with international human rights law, and a Law degree, all awarded from Queen's University Belfast. Leah is interested in monitoring and evaluating state compliance with international human rights obligations, the role of diplomacy within the UN Treaty monitoring system, and human rights within foreign policy. She recently completed the EAD Academy of Young Diplomats programme as a Casimir Pułaski Foundation scholarship recipient, and graduated with Honours.
- Vice President
We will soon recruit for a Vice President. If you believe you are a suitable candidate, please submit a CV and a cover letter to Leah at [email protected] with the subject line, “Vacancy: Vice President”.
Kendall Livingston – Treasurer
- Head, Research Programmes
We will soon recruit for a Head of Research Programmes. If you believe you are a suitable candidate, please submit a CV and a cover letter to Leah at [email protected] with the subject line, “Vacancy: Head of Research Programmes”.
Katherine Susich – Head, Regional Groups
Management team – Research Programmes
- Head, Defence and Security Research Programme
Our Security and Defense Research Programme is currently on hiatus. For any enquiries including article submissions, please contact [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Leah Rachel Rea – Head, Democracy and Governance Research Programme
Email: [email protected]
Ella Heikkinen – Head, Migration Research Programme
Ella currently works as an Access to Legal Services Advisor at a Law Centre focused on social welfare law. She holds an LLB Law degree from the University of Bristol.
Email: [email protected]
Management Team – Regional Groups
Will Shao – Head, Agora South East
Will currently works at the Ditchley Foundation as the Technology and Democracy Networks Lead. His work in this role centres around the impact and future of emerging and disruptive technologies, including semiconductors, generational models, and XR systems.
Will holds a BA in Classics with minors in International Relations and Modern Languages from Stanford University, as well as an MSt in Classics from the University of Oxford. His thesis for the latter focused on the relevance of the Promethean myth to ethical AI.
Will runs Agora South East with the help of Lara Woo, Isabella Mawhinney, Comfort Maseko, Musa Ali, and Sophia Dong.
– Head, Agora South West
Email: [email protected]
Bradley Tait – Head, Agora London
Bradley received an MSc candidate in the Politics of East Asia from the School of Oriental and African Studies. His research focused on East Asian defence and security, with a particular focus on China. Prior to starting his MSc, Bradley lived and worked in Washington DC, where he attended George Washington University as an undergraduate, pursuing a BA in International Relations.
Bradley runs Agora London with the help of Griffin Allen, Ritangshu Bhattacharya, and Mohammad Omer Butt.
Email: [email protected]
Katherine Susich – Head, Agora Northern Ireland
Katherine recently earned an MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice from Queen's University Belfast. Her dissertation focused on the role of international women's rights frameworks in contemporary conflict transformation processes, with a particular emphasis on the women's sector and feminist activism in post-conflict Northern Ireland. Her research interests include Irish history, gender and conflict, and political protest and prisons in conflict-affected contexts.
Email: [email protected]
– Head of Editorial Board
Max Fullalove - Editor
Max is currently a student at the University of Cambridge studying Human, Social and Political Sciences. He has a keen interest in peace and conflict studies as well as the use of statistics in political science.