Shadi Rouhshahbaz (she/her) is an Associate Research Fellow at The Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation (ADI) and international consultant. She holds a Double-Joint Masters degree in International Development – Migration and Mediation from the Ca Foscari University of Venice and Paul Valery University, Montpellier 3. She has over 5 years of experience in working with international organisations, youth networks and UN agencies. She previously worked with UN Women HQ, UNICEF and UNIC in Iran, and the United Network of Young Peacebuilders.
Rooted in her personal experiences of being a young female leader who contributed to shaping many intersectional spaces, Shadi is fascinated by the experience of young women and creating equity and sustainability for future generations. This longstanding interest has led her to conduct field research in Tunisia with young peacebuilders, as well as youth leaders in Iran and lead a team of 9 young researchers across the borderlands of Burundi, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In addition to her research, she has many experiences as a trainer, facilitator, strategy developer, consultant, rapporteur, teacher and public speaker. She has founded the first young-women-led peacebuilding initiative, PeaceMentors, in Iran. She also served as the leading editor of the Journal on Youth, Peace and Security in 2022. Her areas of expertise are non-violent communication, foresight and futures thinking, intergenerational leadership, DEI, and strategic development.
Shadi is committed to conducting research that influences policy by bridging the gaps between the lived experience of individuals and the required developments of systems and academia.
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Languages: Fluency in English, Italian and Persian