Marika Djolai (PhD, University of Sussex) is the Key Expert on “Global Exchange on Religion in Society”, European Commission project. Previously, she was Senior Researcher and Head of Conflict and Security Cluster at the European Centre for Minority Issues (Germany). Marika holds master’s degrees from the University of Novi Sad and University College London and received her Doctorate in Development Studies (Conflict and Violence) from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex. She was a Visiting Researcher at the Faculty of Political Science in Sarajevo in 2012 and she was granted a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Centre for Advanced Studies of Southeast Europe, University of Rijeka. Her academic research focuses on community dynamics, post-conflict development, minority rights and securitisation. Her policy work is oriented towards the EU accession of the Western Balkans countries, bilateral disputes resolution, religion, and civil society. Since 1999 she has been based in the UK where she worked for the UK political establishment, as FCO advisor and with International Alert as Head of Eurasia Programme, inter alia. As a senior consultant in development sector, Marika provided advice to GIZ, SIDA, Swiss Development Cooperation, as well as UNICEF, UNDP, and the British Council projects and other CSOs globally. She was a co-founder of the “Panonija” Charity and the “House of Tolerance” NGO in Serbia in 1990s.