Staff
Douglas Irvin-Erickson, Director
Douglas Irvin-Erickson is Assistant Professor at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. He has worked in the field of genocide studies and atrocity prevention in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Cambodia, Myanmar, Ukraine, and Argentina. He is the author of books, chapters, and articles on genocide, religion and violence, human security, international criminal law, and political theory. His current research includes a book on the life and works of Raphael Lemkin, the originator of the word "genocide" who authored the UN Genocide Convention (UPenn Press, 2017). Irvin-Erickson also serves as Editor of Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal, the official publication of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. He holds a Ph.D. in Global Affairs from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and an M.A. in English Literature. His website is douglasirvinerickson.org.
Anka Whelan, Research Assistant and Undergrad Team Leader
Anka Whelan is an undergraduate student at George Mason University, double majoring in Global Affairs and Russian. She is a specialist Eastern Europe and Eurasian Affairs, and is interested in genocide prevention, global governance, conflict resolution, and international security. Anka is a member of the Mason swim and dive team, head lifeguard at the Mason aquatic and fitness center, and serves as Under Secretary of Athletics and Recreation for Mason Student Government.
Sixte Vigny Nimuraba, Program Officer for Violence Prevention in Burundi Initiatives
Vigny Nimuraba is the Director of the Lemkin Program’s Violence Prevention Initiative. He currently serves as the Chair of the Independent National Commission on Human Rights in Burundi, and teaches at the National University of Burundi in Bujumbura. He has taught classes on Early Warning and Mass Atrocity Prevention for the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, and International Humanitarian Law and International Protection of Human Rights for Hope Africa University in Bujumbura, Burundi. He worked closely with UNHCR and Ligue Iteka in Burundi until 2011, as Regional Coordinator through the Ligue Iteka’s Monitoring of Returnees Project. Before Ligue Iteka, he held positions with local and international organizations such as VISPE, Care International, and CNLS, among others, from which he got the inspiration and passion to dedicate his life to peaceful coexistence, Human Rights and social cohesion. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Ngozi (Burundi) and a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University.