Governance & Human Rights: Instructors

Prof. Dr. Till Patrik Holterhus has held the Professorship of Public Law at Leuphana University Lüneburg since 2023, with a particular focus on constitutional and administrative law. He is affiliated with Leuphana Law School and the Center for European and International Law, contributing to research and teaching in international public and comparative law. His academic background includes studies in Göttingen and Yale, and previous roles at the Universities of Göttingen and Humboldt in Berlin.

Dr. Elena Kropacheva is a member of the Graduate School at the Leuphana University Lüneburg. Until the end of 2019 she was a researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg. She wrote extensively about Russian foreign and security policy, politics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Dr. Jack Williams

Dr. Jack Williams holds a PhD in Political Philosophy. He is the President of the Institute for Global Negotiation, a non-profit association hosted by the University of Zurich, and works as a Consultant for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), where he teaches negotiation and mediation skills. Since September 2021, he has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the American University of Kurdistan in Duhok, Iraq.

Dr. Anna Wójcik

Dr. Anna Wójcik specializes in constitutional and human rights law, with a focus on rule of law backsliding, freedom of expression, and media regulation in the European Union. She is Assistant Professor at Kozminski University in Warsaw and principal investigator of a research project funded by the National Science Centre, Poland. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Dr. Hasnain Bokhari

Dr. Hasnain Bokhari is a faculty member at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt. His research focuses on digitalisation in public administration, digital inclusion, and internet politics. He has served as a consultant for projects funded by KfW, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

Heike Alefsen

Heike Alefsen is Senior Human Rights Adviser to the United Nations Development Group Asia-Pacific in Bangkok, where she works with regional UN offices and Resident Coordinators on integrating human rights principles into UN programming. She has over 30 years of experience in human rights, sustainable development, and gender equality, and has held senior positions with OHCHR, the Council of Europe, and other international organizations.

Dr. Ole Frahm

Dr. Ole Frahm is a political scientist based in Berlin and Istanbul, working internationally as a teacher, researcher, and consultant with think tanks in Germany and Turkey. His expertise includes statebuilding, populist foreign policy, democratization and hybrid regimes, peacebuilding and reconciliation, political communication, and international relations theory. He is currently a senior researcher at the University of Iceland, focusing on African statebuilding and post-conflict governance.

Céline da Graça Pires

Céline da Graça Pires is a Business and Human Rights specialist and senior advisor at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a global non-profit organization supporting companies in implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. She is also a research associate at the NOVA Centre on Business, Human Rights, and the Environment (BHRE) in Lisbon.

Dr. Andrea Berg

Dr. Andrea Berg is a political scientist and systems thinker with a focus on organizational development and civil society. She holds a PhD in Political Science and has worked in leadership positions with global human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Her expertise includes human rights-based governance, strategic planning, and impact-oriented development.

Dr. Irem Güney-Frahm

Dr. Irem Güney-Frahm conducts research at the Harriet-Taylor-Mill Institute with a focus on globalization, gender, and development in the Global South. She has taught at institutions including Humboldt University Berlin, Berlin School of Economics and Law, University of St Gallen, and ETH Zürich. Her work explores gender equality, digitalization, and the impact of global transformations.

Prof. Dr. Florian (Fabian) Hoffmann

Prof. Florian Hoffmann is a Professor of Law at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His work focuses on the intersection of law, human rights, and development. He has served as a consultant for various national and international organizations, including the OHCHR and the World Bank. His academic background includes positions at LSE, PUC-Rio, and the University of Erfurt.

Lis Cunha

Lis Cunha is a campaigner at Greenpeace with a background in human rights advocacy and political campaigning. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights from University College London and has worked with NGOs and in the European Parliament on economic and women’s rights. Her work focuses on translating human rights knowledge into real-world advocacy and change.