Biography

Maria Groeneveld is a practitioner and researcher in conflict resolution, crisis prevention and democratisation. She has over 15 years of experience working in conflict-affected areas, including for the European Union Delegations in South Asia and the Horn of Africa.

Maria has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Tartu, Estonia, with a focus on international relations, peace process mediation, and the impact of domestic identities on foreign policy decisions. She also holds an MA in International Relations and European Studies from the Central European University in Vienna.

As a Policy Leader Fellow, Maria’s work centres on the intersections of democratisation, conflict, peace processes, and the diplomatic and development response strategies that operate within this nexus. She will focus on examining the impact of conflict and security narratives on democratisation efforts, supporting democratisation through a peacebuilding lens, and on the resilience of democratic systems.

Research projects, clusters and working groups

• Expert Knowledge and Authority in Transformative Times
• Transnational Democracy in the 21st century

Fields of expertise