Daniela Irrera is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the School of Advanced Defence Studies, CASD  in Rome. She is also Visiting Professor of Political Violence and Terrorism and Civil Society and Sustainability at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. She is Chair of the ECPR. She has held a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Delaware, US; a DAAD fellowship at The Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, and a Marie Curie fellowship at UFSC, Brazil. She has been visiting researcher at the EU Centre of Excellence at the University of Alberta, Canada. She has authored and co-edited 11 books and more than 70 publications in the field of political science and international relations. Her primary research focuses on action and influence on global politics by non-state actors, both positive (civil society organisations and NGOs) and negative (organised crime and terrorism). As for policy impact, she serves as a consultant to the Radicalisation Awareness Network Policy Support (RAN PS), EU Commission and to the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries. She regularly contributes to policy briefs, blog posts of expert networks, and to mass media on major international issues.