With more than 20 years of field experience in the Horn of Africa, Jason has undertaken a range of policy and academic research consultancies, focused on political economy issues across the region. He is a Research Associate at the African Studies Centre, Oxford University and Managing Editor of the Journal of Eastern African Studies. He was an Associate Senior Researcher with SIPRI’s Conflict, Peace and Security area from 2020-25, and an Associate Fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House from 2012-18. Prior to this, Jason was the Senior Analyst for Africa at Oxford Analytica from 2005-12. He has an MA in African Studies from SOAS, University of London.

Subeida brings more than 12 years of experience in democracy and governance across Somalia and Kenya, with a focus on political settlements, federalism and inclusive dialogue. Her work centres on navigating complex political landscapes to support consensus-building and institutional development. Prior to joining RVI, Subeida held leadership roles across government and development sectors, including Secretary General of the Benadir Region and Mogadishu Municipality. She has contributed to key governance and reform efforts through positions with the Ministry of Planning (FGS), USAID’s Strengthening Somali Governance project, and the International Organization for Migration. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Howard University and a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Georgia Southern University.

Hodan Hassan is a distinguished development professional with two decades of experience driving impactful change in fragile and conflict-affected states. She has played a pivotal role in shaping stabilization and peacebuilding efforts, working closely with the US State Department to strategically leverage USAID programming for the successful implementation of peace agreements in Sudan and Somalia. As Deputy Director of USAID Somalia, Ms. Hassan spearheaded a rapid expansion of the office’s budget and personnel, positioning it to deliver transformative development initiatives. She was instrumental in conceptualizing, designing and executing innovative programs, including USAID’s first country-level strategy for Somalia and a ground breaking $100 million stabilization initiative. Through her consulting firm, Kulan Consulting, Ms. Hassan advises governments and international organizations on transformational capacity development, inclusive economic growth, socio-political context analysis and knowledge management. Her clients have included USAID, UN agencies, World Bank, the EU and FCDO, among others.

Dereje holds a PhD in Social Anthropology from Martin Luther University, Germany. He was a research fellow of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany and University of Osaka in Japan. Dereje’s research interests include centre-periphery relations and state formation in Ethiopia, political transition and political economy of development. He is the author and editor of several books and articles in peer-reviewed journals, including: Migration as a collective project – the experience of Hadiya migration to South Africa (forthcoming, Routledge); Ethiopia in the Wake of Political Reform (2020, Tsehay publishers) and Playing Different Games – the paradox of identification strategies of the Anuak and the Nuer in the Gambella region, western Ethiopia (2011, Berghan).

Michael’s teaching and research interests are in African security studies, with a particular focus on armed conflict in the Horn of Africa. His scholarly work has been published in a wide-range of peer-reviewed journals and his popular essays have appeared in outlets such as Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and Current History. His first book, Insurgent Fragmentation in the Horn of Africa: Rebellion and Its Discontents, was published with Cambridge University Press in 2018. In addition to his scholarly work, Michael has consulted with a number of international organizations, primarily on issues related to politics, governance and security in the Greater Horn of Africa region. He holds a BA from Beloit College, and MA and PhD degrees from Princeton University.