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Sashenka holds an M. Sc. in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford where she studied as an Open Society Foundation Scholar. She previously completed her B. A. in Political Science at the University of Tirana and her B. A. in International Relations at the European University of Tirana. After completing her studies, she joined the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) as a Think Tank Fund Fellow through the Think Tank Young Professional Development Program for MA and PhD Graduates 2013-2014. During this period she has been working on the Western Balkans’ EU accession process as well as on Albanian citizens’ perceptions about domestic and regional issues.

Emily Knowles is in the final stages of a master’s degree in International and European Politics from the University of Edinburgh (UK). She also holds a First Class bachelor’s degree in French and Spanish from the University of Surrey (UK), for which she was awarded the French prize for academic excellence.

Emily is completing a combined research placement of six months at the Caucasus Research Resource Center and the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies in Tbilisi. Her interests include territorial disputes, land claims, identity narratives, securitization and methodologies for conflict analysis. Her fellowship will culminate in two papers; one on the securitization of disputed borders and one on methodologies for stress-testing territorial conflict, to be presented at the Association for Borderlands Studies world conference and the International Peace Research Association’s 25th General Conference respectively.

Prior to arriving in Georgia, Emily completed research posts at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (The Netherlands), the City of Edinburgh Council’s international relations team (UK), and Electricité de France’s international relations and foresight division (France). She has also worked for the international development team at the Peruvian NGO Nexos Voluntarios (Peru).

Emily is a native English speaker who is professionally fluent in French and Spanish, and competent in Dutch. She can speak basic Russian and will be taking both Russian and Georgian language courses as part of her placement in Georgia.