Expert Team: Staff

Safaa Ben Hdia serves as a Finance Officer at the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), where she supports financial administration, accounting, and reporting functions. She has experience in financial management and compliance, particularly within the non-profit sector.

Prior to joining IFIT, she worked with Social Value International, a global charity focused on changing the way society accounts for value, where she managed financial administration, reporting, and compliance processes, and supported operational efficiency improvements. She also worked with a mission-driven organization focused on human rights and social justice in Africa, overseeing financial procedures and supporting transparent fund management. Earlier in her career, she gained experience in a corporate environment, developing streamlined financial processes.

Safaa holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting and Finance) and has completed certifications in trustee e-learning, social impact measurement, and green digital skills.

Working languages: English, Arabic and French.

María José Rodríguez González is a Consultant to IFIT’s Mexico project and also contributes to the implementation of IFIT’s global initiative on Fast-Track Negotiation.

She holds a degree in International Relations from El Colegio de México and is an associate at the Mexican Council on International Affairs (Comexi) within the Europe Study and Reflection Unit, where she has carried out national and regional analyses on current political trends and developments.

María José’s research focuses on international peace and security, migration and asylum, identity formation and nationalism, and political philosophy.

Working languages: English and Spanish.

Mariana Cárdenas Millán es pasante en el Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), con base en la oficina de Bogotá, donde apoya actividades de investigación, análisis y proyectos relacionados con el trabajo de la organización en Colombia.

Antes de unirse a IFIT, participó en proyectos estudiantiles de consultoría, apoyó cursos de economía como asistente, contribuyó a investigaciones de pregrado en política pública, tomó parte en foros internacionales de debate y realizó voluntariado en iniciativas dirigidas a niños y jóvenes.

Actualmente cursa el pregrado en Economía, con estudios adicionales en derecho de los negocios, psicología social y periodismo. Sus intereses incluyen la economía del comportamiento, la macroeconomía, la regulación financiera y los factores psicológicos y sociales que influyen en la toma de decisiones económicas.

Idiomas de trabajo: español e inglés.

Mariana Cárdenas Millán is an Intern at the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), based in the Bogotá office, where she supports diverse IFIT research, analysis, and project activities in Colombia.

Before joining IFIT, she took part in student consulting projects, contributed to undergraduate research on economics and public policy, and engaged in international debate platforms and youth-focused initiatives.

Mariana is completing a degree in Economics at the Universidad de los Andes, with additional studies in business law, social psychology, and journalism. Her interests include behavioral economics, macroeconomic dynamics, financial regulation, and the psychological and social factors shaping economic decision-making.

Working languages: English and Spanish.

Pablo Javier Martinez Acevedo es pasante en el Institute For Integrated Transitions (IFIT). Está ubicado en la oficina de Bogotá, donde apoya el trabajo de IFIT en Colombia.

Antes de entrar a IFIT, Pablo ha realizado investigaciones universitarias sobre los derechos humanos, su relación con las herramientas de Inteligencia Artificial en el semillero y actualmente sobre política criminal en la “Escuela de Investigación y Pensamiento Penal POLYCRIMED” de la UNAL. De igual forma, ha trabajado en la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz en el caso 10 participando en la contrastación de informes y versiones voluntarias.

Pablo es un estudiante apunto de graduarse de abogado de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Sus áreas de interés incluyen la justicia transicional, la política criminal, los derechos humanos y el derecho de las nuevas tecnologías.

Idiomas de trabajo: español e inglés.

Pablo Javier Martínez Acevedo is an intern at the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT). He is based in the Bogotá office, where he supports IFIT’s work in Colombia.

Before joining IFIT, Pablo conducted university research on human rights and their relationship with AI tools in a research group, and he is currently working on criminal policy issues at the School of Criminal Research and Thought at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. He has also worked at Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace, participating in fact checking and the processing of voluntary confessions.

Pablo is a law student in his final year at the National University of Colombia. His areas of interest include transitional justice, criminal law policy, human rights, and the law of new technologies.

Working languages: English and Spanish.

Mostafa Al Hamod is a Syrian expert specialising in governance and local development who currently leads IFIT’s Syria project and coordinates the Syria Resource Group (SRG). He is based in Damascus.

Over the years, Mostafa has supported Syrian and international institutions in strengthening participatory governance, planning for recovery, and building institutional capacity. His current work  involves facilitating inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogues, helping local communities define their recovery priorities, and providing practical recommendations and guidance for policy and programme design. In addition, he develops research reports that advance inclusive recovery and protect the rights of vulnerable groups.

Beyond his work with IFIT, Mostafa is a member of the Advisory Board of Adopt a Revolution, and the Chairman of the Board of Leadership for Development and Sustainability (LDS). He holds a Bachelor’s in Law (Administrative Law) from the University of Aleppo, Syria.

Working languages: Arabic and English

Emilio Arturo Barbosa Meillon es pasante en el Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), colaborando en el proyecto de México.

Actualmente, Emilio cursa la Licenciatura en Relaciones Internacionales en el Tecnológico de Monterrey y la Licenciatura en Derecho en la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). Sus áreas de especialización e investigación son la violencia criminal en el contexto mexicano y la paz y seguridad internacional.

Sus áreas de interés son la construcción de paz, el acceso a la justicia, la independencia judicial, el derecho internacional humanitario y los estudios estratégicos.

Working languages: English and Spanish.

Emilio Arturo Barbosa Meillon is an Intern at the Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT), working at the project in Mexico.

Emilio is currently studying a bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Tecnológico de Monterrey, and a bachelor of laws at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). His areas of specialization and research are criminal violence in the Mexican context, and international peace and security.

His areas of interest are peacebuilding, access to justice, judicial independence, international humanitarian law, and strategic studies. 

Working languages: English and Spanish.

María Alejandra Fonseca Manosalva es Consultora en el Institute for Integrated Transitions (IFIT). Está basada en la oficina de Bogotá, donde apoya al equipo del trabajo del Fondo de Expertos de Colombia.

Antes de unirse a IFIT, María Alejandra trabajó en la Clínica Jurídica para Migrantes de la Universidad de los Andes, brindando asistencia legal a personas de bajos ingresos con problemas relacionados con inmigración. También ha participado en roles académicos y de liderazgo, incluyendo su labor como representante estudiantil en la universidad.

María Alejandra está próxima a graduarse de Derecho y Ciencia Política en la Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. Sus áreas de interés incluyen el derecho internacional, los derechos humanos, la justicia transicional, los estudios de género y las políticas migratorias.

Idiomas de trabajo: inglés i español.