Jessica Dorsey is based in the Netherlands where she is the voluntary Chair of Airwars Stichting and is also seconded to the UK Board. She is an Assistant Professor of International and European Law at Utrecht University, an Associate Fellow at the International Center for Counter-Terrorism—The Hague and Managing Editor of the international law blog Opinio Juris. Jessica is an expert in many academic and policy networks focused on the use of armed drones, with a specific emphasis on the use of force, and the interplay of humanitarian law and human rights with efforts to counter terrorism. In 2017 for example, the European Parliament contracted Jessica to publish a study outlining policy guidance for the use of armed drones for Member States.
Aditi Gupta is the Director of Policy for Protection Approaches, a UK based organisation dedicated to tackling identity-based violence. She is also the co-founder of the Minorities in Peace and Security Network, and was formerly the Director of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Conflict. Aditi is a recognised leader in the fight against intersectional inequalities endemic in the professional fields of peace, security and prevention.
Ayah Al Zayat has a decade of experience in the humanitarian field, both as a researcher specialising in migration, and in senior positions leading research teams in conflict-affected countries to improve aid delivery. Ayah has worked in advocacy, particularly on Libya and refugee protection, influencing key decision-makers through research and building accountability into the work. After 6 years of experience leading teams in North and West Africa at IMPACT Initiative and providing strategic and technical advice to country teams, Ayah is currently an Accountability Specialist at IMPACT Initiatives in Geneva, working on mainstreaming inclusive and participatory research design processes. Ayah assists the board with human resources strategy.
Craig Lind is a retired academic lawyer who remains an honorary researcher at the University of Sussex in Brighton. Although his research is in the realms of family law, he has degrees in Accounting and Economics and Law, and taught Public Law and Politics for most of his teaching career.
Jesse is a Senior Director at Videre Est Credere, a non-profit organisation supporting persecuted communities to use customised technology to document human rights violations. Prior to this he held positions in both London and Washington D.C. with the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, focusing on promoting freedom of expression and access to information in conflict-affected and closed societies. He began his career in human rights with Global Witness, and worked in Sri Lanka for the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust during the final stages of the country’s civil war to protect local human rights defenders and support civil society development. Jesse holds a MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.
As a UK-registered not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, Airwars is run day-to-day by its Executive Director, whose activities are overseen by a volunteer Executive Board. The Board is accountable to Airwars’ staff and volunteers.