Oliver Reisner - Chairperson - Since September 2016 he works as Jean Monnet Professor in European & Caucasian Studies at Ilia State University and teaches courses for BA, MA and PhD students with majors in “European Studies” and “Caucasian Studies.” In 2000 he graduated with a Dr. phil. in Eastern European History, Slavic Studies and Medieval and Modern History from Georg August University Goettingen (Germany). 2000 – 2003 he prepared and coordinated a MA program “Central Asia/Caucasus” at the Department for Central Asian Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin. 2003 – 2005 as a human rights program manager for World Vision Georgia he implemented a civic integration project in Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions of Georgia. 2005 – 2015 as project manager at the EU Delegation to Georgia he dealt with democratisation, minority, education, youth, labour and social affairs. In 25 years of research on Russian, Georgian, Caucasian history and contemporary affairs in theory and practice he covered topics of 1) Nation-building and identity in the Caucasus during the 19th and 20th centuries; 2) Memory studies on dealing with the Soviet past in Georgia and the Caucasus; 3) History of Caucasian Studies as area studies and 4) the role of religion in Georgia.

Tigran Keryan – hold a PhD in Social and Economic Sciences. Works at University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) · Institute of Landscape Development, Recreation and Conservation Planning (ILEN)

Azer Garaev has in-depth experience working on environmental issues in Azerbaijan and other Caucasus countries. He has over 25 years of experience in the environmental NGO sector on national and regional levels and in-depth knowledge of the governmental institutions and legal frameworks of the South Caucasus environmental sector. He is experienced in managing various environmental projects that have been supported by different donors including international organisations. He is an editor and author of several education manuals and tutorials and an international magazine on environmental issues. He has experience in the design and organisation of special trainings, events, contests and other public awareness and communication activities about the environment.

Kakha Artsivadze holds a PhD in Biophysics and has more than 30 years of professional experience in managing projects in the fields of biodiversity conservation, land degradation, forest management, climate change, integrated policy development and integrated environmental management. He also has more than 20 years of teaching and supervisory experience. Kakha is a member of the Group of Experts on Biodiversity and Climate Change of the Bern Convention.