Ilhan Dahir is a political scientist, writer, and foreign policy expert specializing in human rights, mass atrocity prevention, and public international law. She has extensive experience providing strategic advice to international organizations and governments on issues at the intersection of technology, human rights, and security. Her research has informed multilateral and governmental strategies on peacekeeping operations, climate security, migration, and the role of emerging technology in conflict and peace-building. Ilhan currently works at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) as a part of the Governance, Justice, and Security Program where she leads work on atrocity prevention and protection of civilians.

Ilhan was previously a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Nairobi, Kenya and an expert in the Protecting Civilians and Human Security program at the Stimson Center in Washington D.C. She has conducted and published research on new approaches to civilian protection, early warning mechanisms for atrocity prevention and climate risk, transhumance and border security, and the future of regional peace operations at the International Peace Institute in New York City and the African Union Mission to the United Nations as a consultant researcher.

Ilhan Dahir is a Fulbright Scholar (Türkiye) and was honored with a Champion of Change award by the White House for her impactful work for American diaspora communities.

Ilhan holds two master’s degrees from the University of Oxford where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English from The Ohio State University.