Ruth Citrin – XCEPT

Dr Ruth Citrin is XCEPT Consortium Executive Director. Ruth ensures the coherence, rigour and policy relevance of XCEPT research, leads research uptake and develops XCEPT’s use of remote methods. She has a proven ability to translate research and analysis into policy. Ruth previously served as director for Syria at the White House National Security Council, policy advisor on former Secretary of State John Kerry’s staff and senior Levant analyst with the US Department of State. She is the former director of the European Council on Foreign Relations Middle East and North Africa programme.

Aliya Souhaid – XCEPT

Aliya is an experienced manager of evidence-driven programmes in fragile and conflict-affected states and regions for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. With XCEPT, Aliya supports the design and delivery of responsive research and the use of remote methods. She recently managed XCEPT research for FCDO under the Ethiopia Responsive Research Facility. 

Patta Scott-Villiers – Institute of Development Studies

Patta Scott-Villiers is Principal Investigator for the XCEPT Promoting Peaceful Pastoralism study which is using participatory action research to generate new solutions to insecurity across the Kenya-Uganda border. She is a senior research and teaching fellow at the Institute of Development Studies in the UK, known for her work on innovative research methodologies.

Joseph Diing Majok – Rift Valley Institute

Joseph Diing Majok is a research consultant with the Rift Valley Institute (RVI). He has been with RVI since 2017 and has been involved in numerous projects with XCEPT, having written and co-authored reports, policy briefs and blog posts on cross-border livelihoods, labour migration and militarisation. Joseph holds an MSc in Africa and International Development from the Centre of African Studies at the University of Edinburgh.