STRUCTURE OF THE CHAIR

The creation of the UNESCO-PREV Chair is the result of a close partnership between Université de Sherbrooke, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM) and Concordia University. The triadic and diverse nature of the Chair’s leadership is essential and embodied within its governance structure. It is based on an interdisciplinary and intersectoral approach, combined with expertise, which is essential to addressing the prevention of violent radicalization.

 

The UNESCO-PREV Chair benefits from shared leadership and varied research and field experiences from its co-holders. It also guarantees the pooling of resources between these leading institutions.

EXECUTIVE COMITTEE

The Executive Committee monitors the work according to the Chair’s objectives. It advises the chair holders and is responsible, among other things, for approving the annual activity reports, as well as any significant changes to the budget or the Chair’s objectives. The Executive Committee also approves the annual planning of research and dissemination activities, as well as the Chair’s scientific program as defined by the Scientific Committee. It meets once or twice a year.

Composition of the committee

Four representatives from Université de Sherbrooke

  • Prof. David Morin, Co-Chairholder; 
  • Prof. Sami Aoun, Director of the Scientific Committee;
  • Prof. Jean-Pascal Lemelin, Vice-Rector, Research and Graduate Studies, Université de Sherbrooke; 
  • Prof. Thérèse Audet, Vice-Dean of Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Studies.

Two representatives from Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM)

  • Prof Ghayda Hassan, Co-Chairholder; 
  • Ms. Caroline Roger, Director of Partnerships and Innovation Support Department.

Two Concordia University representatives 

  • Prof. Vivek Venkatesh, Co-Chairholder; 
  • Ms. Dominique Michaud, Director of Research Development at the Office of the Vice-Rector, Research and Graduate Studies.

One external and independant member (to be announced)

EXPERT COMMITTEE

In accordance with its statutes, the UNESCO-PREV Chair establishes an independent committee of high-level national and international experts. The committee is mandated with advising the co-chairholders in the development of the Chair’s programming and annual activities, strengthening its scientific work quality and developing networks among its partners.

 

The Expert Committee also promotes the other centres of expertise’s activities and encourages collaboration between them. The committee is formed of experts with proven skills and experience in preventing violent radicalization and extremism. It is independent, multidisciplinary and representative, as far as possible, of the different regions of the world.

 

The functions of the Expert Committee are as follows:

 

  • Being informed of the Chair’s activities on a regular basis ;
  • Participating in two annual meetings (by video conference or in person);
  • Advising the co-chairholders on the Chair’s activities, including annual programming;
  • Proposing, where applicable, joint projects;
  • Evaluating the nominations of the Chair’s associate members;
  • Evaluating the networks of local experts or centres of expertise associated with the Chair;
  • Relaying information about their activities or their organization’s activities so that they can be shared and promoted within the Chair’s networks and on its website and social networks;
  • Participating directly in the work and activities of the Chair according to their interests and availability.

Composition of the Committee

President

Sami Aoun: Associate Professor, School of Applied Politics, University of Sherbrooke. Director of the Observatory on the Middle East and North Africa (OMAN). Raoul Dandurand Chair in Strategic and Diplomatic Studies. University of Sherbrooke.

 

Co-Chairholders

  • David Morin: Full Professor, School of Applied Politics, University of Sherbrooke; Co-Director of the “Observatoire sur la radicalisation et l’extrémisme violent” (OSR). University of Sherbrooke.
  • Ghayda Hassan: Psychologist ; Full Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). Director of the Canadian Practitioners Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (CPN-PREV).
  • Vivek Venkatesh: Full Professor, Art Education, Concordia University; Director of the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance; Director of Project SOMEONE (Social Media Education Every Day). Concordia University.

 

Members

  • Abdelwahab Ben Hafaiedh: Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Tunis University (FSHST) ; President of the Applied Social Science Forum (Arab region); Secretary General of CAFA Network (Civil Actors in Fight Against Violent Extremism).
  • Jonathan Birdwell: Deputy Director and Head of Policy and Research at the Institute of Strategic Dialogue (ISD).
  • Nicolas Chabot: Head of the State Security Team at the Department of Intelligence, Analysis and Operations Support Services of the ministère de la Sécurité publique of Québec
  • Larry Gbevlo-Lartey: Director of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism (ACSRT); Special Representative of the African Union Chairperson for Counter-Terrorism Cooperation.
  • Alfredo Joignant: Full Professor at the School of Political Science of University Diego Portales (UDP); Main Researcher, Political and Social Conflict area (UDP); Main Researcher, Observatory of Conflicts of the Centre for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES).
  • Daniel Khoeler: Director of the German Institute on Radicalization and De-radicalization Studies (GIRDS); Co-Founder of the peer-reviewed open access Journal for De-radicalization; Member of the Editorial Board of the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) in The Hague.
  • Simon Kuany: Prevention of Violent Extremism through Education Specialist at the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP).
  • Pascale Laborier: Professor of Political Science, Co-Director and President of the Department of Political Science at the Université de Paris Nanterre; Head of the Scientific Council on Radicalisation Processes (COSPRAD), ATHENA Alliance.
  • Amer Makarem: Director of Youth Association of the Blind (YAB).
  • Carol Mottet: Expert in Human Security within the Human Security Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) in Switzerland.
  • Marie-Bernarde Pérès: Expert Advisor within the Direction of Inclusive Society and Interculturalism at the ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration of Québec.
  • Cécile Rousseau: Full Professor at the Department of Psychiatry (Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry) of McGill University; Research and Clinical Psychiatrist, and Director of the Transcultural Child Psychiatry Clinic at the Montreal Children’s Hospital; Scientific Director of the SHERPA-RAPS Research and Training Centre. 
  • Bakary Sambe: Executive Director of the Timbuktu Institute – African Center for Peace Studies at the Gaston Berger University; Coordinator of the Observatory of Religious Radicalism and Conflicts in Africa; Assistant Professor at the Center for the Study of Religions.
  • Sara Savage: Social Psychologist and Senior Research Associate within the Psychology and Religion Research Group of the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge; Director of IC Thinking research group.
  • Lori-Anne Théroux-Benoni: Director of the Regional Office for West Africa, the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS),  located in Dakar.
  • Corinne Torrekens: Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB); Researcher for the Group for Research on Ethnic Relations, Migrations and Equality (GERME).
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