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Tessera Institute for Global Affairs

An international scholarly network grounded in horizontal cross-mentorship and solidarity, advancing rigorous research and producing high-impact analysis on global affairs.

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Who We Are

Tessera is an independent, non-partisan research institute and emerging think tank based in Toronto, Canada. Organized as an international network of scholars and practitioners, we produce research and analysis on global affairs and international security, with particular attention to human security.

We work from the conviction that macro-level political shifts are best understood through close attention to local dynamics. Our research therefore emphasizes area expertise, fieldwork-based observation, and collaboration with scholars from the communities and contexts under study. Like the tesserae of a mosaic, we bring together precise, contextually grounded insights to make sense of broader patterns of political and social change.

Our Mission...

...is to produce rigorous, policy-relevant research on global affairs and international security while creating meaningful opportunities for emerging scholars to develop, publish, and contribute to public and policy debate.

What We Do?

1. Collaborative Research Lab

Our research model is built around horizontal cross-mentorship. Regular Work-in-Progress (WIP) sessions bring researchers together for structured peer review and collective refinement of ongoing work.

2. Applied Research & Analysis

We produce research reports, policy briefings, and op-eds on contemporary global and security challenges. Our work combines academic rigor with clear relevance for research, policy, and practitioner communities.

3. Scholarly Exchange & Professional Development

We help emerging and early-career researchers strengthen their professional profiles, develop publication opportunities, and connect with wider academic and policy communities.

Recent Commentary & Analysis

Paper Sovereignty: Why a New Defense Bank Won’t Solve Canada’s Arctic Vulnerability

Canada’s push to diversify defence partnerships and financing will mean little for Arctic sovereignty unless Ottawa can turn procurement plans into deployable military capability.
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Analysis: The Regionalization of Political Order in The Horn of Africa

From strategic ports to corridors, political order in the Horn of Africa is being reorganized through networks of states, external powers and local actors that conventional theories struggle to capture.
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Blood on the Algorithms: How Combat Footage Shapes the Propaganda of the Iran-US War

From polished US strike montages to Iran’s missile-and-drone videos, both sides are turning combat footage into evidence for competing claims of military dominance.
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Below the Threshold: What the Baltic States Can Teach NATO About Countering Russia

While the West studies Ukraine's war for lessons, the Baltic states have spent two decades learning how to counter Russia without one.
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How China Interprets Wang Yi’s Visit to Canada and Canada’s China Policy

Wang Yi's May 2026 visit to Ottawa was billed as a reset. But comparing China's official statements with its policy scholars reveals how Beijing really reads Canada's shift.
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Türkiye, From the Margins to the Center of the NATO Table. How a Punished Ally Becomes an Indispensable Supplier

Mr. Ahmedoğlu discusses why Türkiye could not buy its seat at NATO's table with sixty years of bases and soldiers, yet secured it with drones and shells in a decade.
Read more

Subscribe to the TRC Newsletter for timely analysis, policy briefs, expert commentary, and updates on upcoming events.

To complement our internal analysis, we recommend the following commentary from international affairs platforms: Independent Thinking by Chatham House; The Foreign Desk by Monocle.

Latest News & Events

  • July 10, 2026 | 📍 Online

Tessera Welcomes New Colleagues

Tessera is pleased to announce several additions to its leadership and research team as the organization continues to grow. Counsel Elaine Wong has joined as Head of Legal, helping ensure compliance and professionalism across the organization. Alberto Hylander joins as Strategy & Management Advisor, and Janina Bau joins as Research Manager. We are delighted to welcome each of them to the team.

Our Team

Tessera brings together senior academics and practitioners with early-career professionals, including graduate students. We see this mix of experience as a strength, combining established expertise with emerging perspectives across research, publishing, outreach, and partnerships.

Justinas Stankus, LL.M.

Team Lead, Co-Founder
Justinas is a doctoral researcher in Political Science and a Fulbright Fellow. As part of the Fulbright Fellowship, he spent a year at Cornell University. His research interrogates the dynamics of contentious politics and state-building, with Myanmar as his primary case study.

Thao-Mi Ha

Head of Publishing & Outreach
Thao-Mi is a Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Toronto pursuing a double major in Political Science and Criminology and Socio-legal Studies. She manages operations for the Tessera research collective, with the goal of expanding global understanding of international security. Her interests include political transparency, governance, and advocacy.

Alaa Al-Aridi, PhD

Editor
Alaa holds a PhD in Public International Law and is an Associate Professor of Practice at Vilnius University. His research and lectures focus on hybrid warfare, contemporary conflicts, international humanitarian law, and human rights. With a strong academic background that includes prior research in maritime law, he also serves as a Subject Matter Expert in high-risk investigations, specializing in AML/CTF compliance and international legal frameworks.

Alberto Hylander

Operations & Organisational Development Advisor
Alberto brings 15+ years of international experience designing and implementing organisational structures, processes, and strategic frameworks for complex, multicultural environments. He has led operational transformation and EU-funded programme delivery across diverse sectors—from higher education to accessibility work to international development—with deep expertise in aligning teams, workflows, and governance systems.

Patrick Green, MSc

Chief Research Administrator
Patrick recently graduated from University College London with a MSc in Security Studies. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto with majors in Economics and International Relations. His research interests include political economy, international security, and strategic risk management. Patrick's distinguished MSc dissertation examined how US foreign policy has shaped other states’ nuclear technological development.

Elaine Wong

Head of Legal
Ms. Wong is a corporate and regulatory lawyer qualified in Canada and England & Wales, with expertise in compliance, risk management, and governance. She currently acts as Director of Legal Solutions at Goodlawyer, and previously served as Senior Legal Counsel, Regulatory Compliance at Lumine Group. Her earlier roles include Director, Legal Regulatory Compliance at Martinrea International. Her work strengthens Tessera's legal foundations.

Farshid Keramat

Senior Research Fellow
Farshid Keramat is a Senior Research Fellow at the Tessera Research Collective and an Instructor of Political Science and Law at University Canada West, where he serves on the University Senate. An alumnus of the University of Sheffield and the University of British Columbia, Farshid brings over 13 years of experience in Canadian higher education. He is the author of Introduction to Canadian Law and the founder of World Change Review.

Lisanne Koehler

Research Fellow
I am a Master’s student pursuing a double degree between the London School of Economics and the University of Toronto in Public Administration and Global Affairs. My background is in social justice and human rights - two fields in which I have gotten involved through volunteering and extracurricular activities. I am also the founder of the Advocacy to Action Journal at the University of Toronto.

Jacob Hoffman

Research Fellow
Jacob Hoffman is a graduate from Trinity College Dublin, where he completed an MPhil in International History. His dissertation focused on the conflict media and combat footage as propaganda during the Spanish Civil War. He completed an undergraduate degree at the University of California Santa Barbara, double majoring in History and Global Studies. He has previously served in a number of positions, including as a UN Political Affairs Intern.

Patricia Mace

Senior Research Fellow
Patricia Mace is a certified mediator and public participation facilitator with experience designing inclusive dialogue processes. She directed Brown University’s Community Dialogue Project and serves as Conciliator and Program Administrator at the City of Bellevue Conflict Resolution Center. At UN Women, she advanced the Women, Peace and Security agenda and researched security training and inclusion policies. She has coached over 100 mediators.

Shushan Grigoryan

Research Fellow
Shushan is a geopolitical analyst at a security think tank and a graduate student at Columbia University, where she studies politics with a regional focus on Eurasia—Russia and the South Caucasus—the Near East, and Africa. Her research examines the intersection of geopolitics, domestic politics, energy, and conflict in these regions. She also has experience in public sector policy and research and has published both academic research and policy-oriented work. Previously, she earned a master's degree in Education Policy from UCL.

Farryzki Noor Thoriq

Research Fellow
Farryzki Noor Thoriq is a University of Toronto alum, holding an Honours Bachelor's Degree in International Relations, Public Policy and Urban Studies. His senior thesis focuses on evaluating the rise of Alternative Financial Systems on the effectiveness of international sanctions. He earned a full-ride scholarship from the Indonesian Ministry of Education and is currently working as a Constituency Affairs Assistant at the office of Olivia Chow, the Mayor of Toronto.

Dr. Alois Mugadza

Senior Research Fellow
Dr. Mugadza is a Teaching and Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies, Barbados. He holds a PhD in Law (cum laude) from the Universitat de Girona (Spain). He previously held research fellowships at the University of Groningen (Netherlands) and the University of Johannesburg (South Africa). His broader experience includes roles with Natural Justice (South Africa), the Centre for Water Security and Cooperation (USA), and the United Nations University – Environment and Human Security (Germany).

Kiara Yllescas

Research Fellow
Kiara Yllescas is a Research Intern in the Science, Technology and Innovation for Development Section at UNCTAD, supporting work for the CSTD on data governance. She is a Master of International Public Policy graduate from the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Victoria. Her work focuses on technology and innovation policy, data governance, and sustainability.

Julien Lukubika

Junior Research Fellow
Julien Lukubika is a Research Fellow at Tessera Research Collective and an Advanced Master's student in Globalization and Development at the University of Antwerp. He holds degrees in Development Management and Microfinance from the Institut Supérieur d'Informatique et de Gestion (ISIG), Goma. A former UN Volunteer with UNOPS, he has conducted applied research and policy analysis in conflict-affected contexts, including eastern DRC.

Nathan Feltmate

Research Fellow
Nathan Feltmate is a graduate student at the University of Oxford, currently completing his MPhil in International Relations, with his dissertation focusing on Canada’s Arctic policy. He previously attended the University of Toronto, where he completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts. He majored in International Relations and Peace, Conflict and Justice Studies, and earned awards, including the Chancellor’s Medal Award in Arts. Nathan has previously held positions at the World Bank.

Mümin Ahmedoğlu

Research Fellow
Mümin Ahmedoğlu is a doctoral researcher and university assistant at the University of Vienna, specializing in defence economics, public procurement, and innovation policy. His research examines how industrial asymmetries, sovereignty concerns, and institutional design shape defence cooperation, procurement efficiency, and technological innovation in Europe. Combining contract theory, econometrics, and computational methods, his work seeks to translate rigorous academic research into policy-relevant insights on European security and the defence-industrial base.

Faiqa Javed

Research Fellow
Faiqa Javed is a Senior Research Fellow in Peace and Conflict Studies at Tessera Research Collective and a Research Analyst at Claudio X. González Center for the United States and Mexico, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University. She earned a Master of Global Affairs from Rice University and a Master of Arts in Sociology from Texas Southern University. Her research focuses on human rights, humanitarian governance, migration, peacebuilding, security governance, and militarization.

Patrick Green, MSc

Research Manager
Patrick recently graduated from University College London with a MSc in Security Studies. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto with majors in Economics and International Relations. His research interests include political economy, international security, and strategic risk management. Patrick's distinguished MSc dissertation examined how US foreign policy has shaped other states’ nuclear technological development.

Valeriia Shatska

Research Associate & Event Manager
Valeriia Shatska is a recent Master of Arts graduate in Global Politics from McMaster University, where she previously earned an Honours BA in Political Science with a specialization in Global Citizenship. Her master's research examined citizenship-by-investment programs and their implications for migration, governance, and global inequality. She is also a Dean's Honour List recipient.

Toni Meier

Research Associate & Legal Advisor
Toni is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto with a double major in Political Science and International Relations, with practical experience in legislative politics and youth engagement. With her goal of a career in law and international affairs, her research focuses on major power dynamics, the role of international law and conventions, and global cooperation.

Noa Sarah Evers

Research Associate
Noa Evers is a PhD student at Aarhus University, where she researches how the Arctic Council engages with colonial legacies and postcolonial dynamics in its cultural heritage projects. She holds a BA in Scandinavian Languages and Cultures from the University of Amsterdam and is currently completing an MA in European Studies at Aarhus University alongside her PhD studies. Her work focuses on Arctic human security, particularly on Denmark and Greenland.

Janina Bau

Researcher Manager
Janina is working as a Policy and Project Officer in Brussels. She has expertise in EU-funded projects, mainly in the Horizon Europe framework, focusing on research ethics and integrity, and the evolving role of research management. She is experienced in supporting policy and advocacy initiatives through the European Research Area and stakeholder engagement across Europe and beyond. Janina holds a MA degree in Political Science and a BA degree in European Studies.

Alireza Mani

Contributor
Alireza “Mani” is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at the University of Toronto, specializing in international relations and comparative politics. He is particularly interested in great power politics and global democratization and autocratization waves. His dissertation project examines how great powers influence contemporary democratic backsliding worldwide.

Alan Maričić, PhD

Interim Head of Editorial
Dr. Alan Maričić is a Postdoctoral Fellow in History at the University of Saskatchewan. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Waterloo (2019), where his dissertation examined Yugoslavia’s relations with the two German states during the Cold War. His research focuses on East-South relations, nonalignment, Yugoslav foreign policy, and German Cold War history

Alexandra Giorgis-Audrain

Editorial Associate
Alexandra Giorgis-Audrain is a Master of Global Governance graduate and currently works in the public sector. She has experience with writing articles and training concerning diverse international issues including social determinants of health, indigenous cultural sensitivity, and intergenerational trauma. She is particularly interested in equity, gender issues, and health. She has done extensive research on gender-based violence in Myanmar, and on human trafficking in Canada.

Alaa Al-Aridi, PhD

Editor
Alaa holds a PhD in Public International Law and is an Associate Professor of Practice at Vilnius University. His research and lectures focus on hybrid warfare, contemporary conflicts, international humanitarian law, and human rights. With a strong academic background that includes prior research in maritime law, he also serves as a Subject Matter Expert in high-risk investigations, specializing in AML/CTF compliance and international legal frameworks.

Catherine Moez, PhD

Editor
Dr. Catherine Moez is a postdoctoral research fellow at University of Leicester and King’s College London, currently working on a project on long-run public opinion on immigration in Europe. She is interested in quantitative research methodologies, and topically on understanding the drivers of support for anti-establishment political parties. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a PhD in political science in 2024.

Ranvinderjit Kaur, PhD

Editor
Ranvinderjit Kaur, PhD, is an Education Coach and Academic Advisor based in Ontario, Canada, with advanced training in social policy and governance. She previously served for 12 years as an Assistant Professor in India, conducting field‑based research on democratic decentralisation, primary healthcare, women’s empowerment, and labour precarity. Her current interests centre on community wellbeing, equity, and the everyday factors that shape human security, with emerging comparative work on Indigenous communities internationally.

Thao-Mi Ha

Head of Publishing & Outreach
Thao-Mi is a Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Toronto pursuing a double major in Political Science and Criminology and Socio-legal Studies. She manages operations for the Tessera research collective, with the goal of expanding global understanding of international security. Her interests include political transparency, governance, and advocacy.

Mariana Santos

People and Culture (Europe)
Mariana Flora is a dual-focused leader at Tessera. With 16 years of experience spanning finance, technology, and ESG, she integrates People & Culture leadership with applied research to support Tessera’s commitment to area expertise and fieldwork-based observation. Her work aligns people practices with high-performance cultures and ethically grounded research outputs, ensuring that organizational priorities reflect both global standards and local realities.

Melody He

Operations Officer
Melody is an undergraduate student at the University of Toronto specializing in the social sciences. She is active in student life as a committee member of the UT Chinese Network, contributing to events such as the ACE Career Fair, and also participates in campus activities including badminton and table tennis.

Valeriia Shatska

Research Associate & Event Manager
Valeriia Shatska is a recent Master of Arts graduate in Global Politics from McMaster University, where she previously earned an Honours BA in Political Science with a specialization in Global Citizenship. Her master's research examined citizenship-by-investment programs and their implications for migration, governance, and global inequality. She is also a Dean's Honour List recipient.

Minh Tam Huynh

Operations Officer
Minh Tam is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto with a BA in Sociology and Minors in Political Science and English. Her research interests lie at the intersection of gender politics, labor, and diaspora studies. She is currently balancing her time between applications to MA programs and her alter-ego as an illustrator, working in small press publishing and volunteering for local Toronto community groups.

Join The Emerging Scholars Network

Tessera’s Emerging Scholars Network brings together early-career researchers and practitioners working across international affairs and security studies. Members contribute to research, editorial, outreach, or event activities, depending on their role, and take part in periodic team and work-in-progress sessions. Most positions require approximately 5–10 hours per week.

In return, members gain opportunities to publish, strengthen their research profile, receive editorial and peer feedback, build professional networks, and contribute to policy-relevant work.

Share our vision but don’t see a suitable role listed? We are always interested in hearing from exceptional candidates — get in touch.

Contact Us

Applications Open:
Fall 2026 Positions

Applications are open until September 15, 2026, for Fall term internships. You may choose to join one of the following teams: Research, Communications, Fundraising, Marketing, and Outreach & Partnerships.

For upper-year undergraduate students, these opportunities are offered as three-month internships. For recent graduates and early-career professionals, placements may be arranged based on applicants’ availability, qualifications, and Tessera’s organizational needs.

Submit your application