Research Workgroup

Peter T. Coleman holds a Ph.D. and M.Phil. in Social/Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and a BA in Communications from The University of Iowa. He is currently Professor of Psychology and Education at Teachers College and The Earth Institute at Columbia, and teaches courses in Conflict Resolution, Social Psychology, and Social Science Research.  Dr. Coleman is Director of the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (MD-ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia University and Executive Director of Columbia University’s Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict, and Complexity (AC4).

He currently conducts research on optimality of motivational dynamics in conflict, power asymmetries and conflict, intractable conflict, multicultural conflict, justice and conflict, adaptive mediation dynamics, and sustainable peace. In 2003, he became the first recipient of the Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association (APA), Division 48: Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence, and in 2015 was awarded the Morton Deutsch Conflict Resolution Award by APA and a Marie Curie Fellowship from The EU. Dr. Coleman edits the award-winning Handbook of Conflict Resolution: Theory and Practice (2000, 2006, 2014) and his other books include The Five Percent: Finding Solutions to Seemingly Impossible Conflicts (2011); Conflict, Justice, and Interdependence: The Legacy of Morton Deutsch(2011), Psychological Components of Sustainable Peace (2012), and Attracted to Conflict: Dynamic Foundations of Destructive Social Relations (2013). His most recent book is Making Conflict Work: Navigating Disagreement Up and Down Your Organization (2014), which won the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM) 2016 Outstanding Book Award.

He has also authored over 100 articles and chapters, is a member of the United Nation Mediation Support Unit’s Academic Advisory Council, is a founding board member of the Leymah Gbowee Peace Foundation USA, and is a New York State certified mediator and experienced consultant.

Isadora Caldas is a conflict resolution specialist, educator, and lawyer from Brazil. For over seven years, she worked at a Brazilian law firm, representing workers and workers’ trade unions in disputes before the Brazilian Superior Labor Court. In Brazil, Isadora also worked as a teacher and coordinator for nonprofit educational organizations, as a mediator in Brazil's Federal District and Territories Court of Justice, and as a judge in the country's largest university-level negotiation competition. She moved to the United States in 2021 to pursue a Master's degree in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University. While at Columbia, she served as the President of the Association for Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and was selected as the Student Marshal for her graduating year. Before joining the MD-ICCCR, Isadora worked at a DEI and conflict management consulting firm, and at a nonprofit organization where she taught mediation, restorative practices, and conflict resolution skills in schools in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. Isadora holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Brasília (Brazil) and a Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution from Columbia University (US).

Lan Phan is a first-year doctoral student of the Social-Organizational Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a B.A. in Human Development & Social Relations and Global Management from Earlham College. Having worked in six different countries, she focuses her research on the role of multiculturalism, solidarity, and power dynamics in conflict resolution.

Pedro Franco is a doctoral student in the Social-Organizational Psychology program at Columbia University, Teacher’s College. His research focuses on political polarization, particularly the challenges it presents for educational institutions. In his home-country of Brazil, he is the founder of ProjetoPrisma.org, a platform dedicated towards promoting research and providing resources for educators and learners navigating ideological conflict. He has a BA in Media Studies and an MA in Intellectual History from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, as well as a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Education and Psychology from NYU.

Hallie serves the MD-ICCCR as a part-time project administrator. After earning her B.A. in Global Studies and spending a year in Senegal working for the National Organization for Human Rights, Hallie launched her career in San Francisco, California. She worked as an outreach speaker and international trip facilitator for an organization centered on youth leadership development and community service.

Following her work in the non-profit sector, she carried her learnings into the technology industry where she had the opportunity to lead customer success teams at startups like NerdWallet and Glassdoor.

Through these experiences, she unearthed her truest passion: cultivating psychological safety in teams and supporting emerging leaders as they hone their authentic styles.

After a decade, she transitioned into human resources where she coached executives through employee engagement, the definition of company values, and the implementation of performance management frameworks.

In 2019, she founded Truespace Consulting where she now serves as an independent coach and consultant to leaders and teams as they navigate conflict, improve communication, and build trust and resiliency to find more joy at work.

Varshini Srinivasan has her M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds an Advanced Certificate in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution from the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. Varshini has worked as an elementary school teacher, adult educator, and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) specialist. Varshini is currently working at the Dynamical Conversations Lab at TC, which aims to understand the dynamics of particularly divisive and long-term conflict. She is also working as a freelance adult educator and coach and hopes to continue her academic journey through doctoral studies in peacebuilding and conflict transformation. 

Varshini lives in Harlem, New York City with her two cats and likes to experiment with woodworking and DIY projects at home in her spare time.

Arisa Viddayakorn is a second-year doctoral student in the Social-Organizational Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Arisa was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. She received a B.S. in Finance and Information Systems and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. Her current research at the MD-ICCCR is focused on how employees utilize different forms of strategies to advocate for change within their workplace. More broadly, Arisa is interested in employee well-being and organizations centered around social impact.

Nicole M. Borunda is pursuing their PhD in Social Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Nicole is curious how organizational dissonance at multiple levels impedes a group's ability to reach their stated goals, particularly in the context of social justice. As a member of the MD-ICCCR team, Nicole’s research focuses on the underlying dynamics and conditions that contribute to constructive and destructive conflict. In all they do, Nicole seeks to create a world with more joy and justice.

Raphaëlle Ayach is pursuing her MA in Anthropology & Education at Teachers College. She has spent the past 9 years in Egypt where she founded Safarni, an organization that designs and implements multicultural, anti-racist programing for social cohesion between migrants and host communities. Raphaelle is passionate about creating spaces that facilitate intergroup empathy. She is also a documentary filmmaker, a ChangemakerXChange facilitator and an Ashoka Fellow.

Becca Bass is the Project Administrator at MD-ICCCR. She is currently a MS student in Columbia University’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program (NeCR). She graduated from Haverford College with a BA in Psychology and Educational Studies. Her interests include urban public education policy and reform, systemic approaches to sustainable change, social justice, effective collaborative governance, and the relationship between identity and group dynamics.

Andy is a graduate from Teachers College, Columbia University with an M.A. in Clinical Psychology. Their research at Teachers College focused on strategies to negotiate consent among BDSM practitioners using both survey and interview methods. Major research topics they have collaborated on include atheism, objectification of women, gay and bisexual men’s mental health, attachment theory, and intimate partner violence.  Andy has taught biostatistics courses at the New York University College of Global Public Health. Their passion is applying both traditional research methods and data science tools to social justice research for public good.

Allegra Chen-Carrel is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Organizational Psychology at Teachers College. She recently completed a masters in Global Thought at Columbia University, and a masters in Immigration Management at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Previously, she worked for a community organization connecting low-income New Yorkers to services and for a non-profit in a Haitian batey in the Dominican Republic. She is interested in intercultural communication, social justice, and identity.

Angelina Dayfallah is the Project Administrator at MD-ICCCR. She is currently a MS student at the Marxe

School of Public and International Affairs where her emphasis is in nonprofit management. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) with a BA in Political Science and minored in Conflict Resolution and Middle East Studies. Through her academic coursework and travel to the West Bank, Israel, Jordan, and D.C. for a student diplomacy trip with the Olive Tree Initiative, she obtained the Conflict Analysis and Dispute Resolution Certificate. She is a founder of the Students for Global Peacebuilding and the Peace and Justice Conference through the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding at UCI. Angelina is also a California certified mediator, having worked in both civic engagement organizations and the corporate sector. Her proudest endeavor is the work that she has done through Dr. Bernard LaFayette, in providing workshops on Dr. Martin L. King’s methodology of nonviolence. She is a certified Level II Advanced Kingian Nonviolence trainer through the center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island.

Keerthana Hirudayakanth is the Project Coordinator at MD-ICCCR. Keerthana graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Public Health and minors in Business Administration and Psychology. Her research interests are focused on the intersections of gender, health, and conflict, and implementing systems-based thinking, policy, and partnerships to advance sustainable change. During her time at Rutgers, she led a number of direct service and community development initiatives and conducted research on reproductive care in refugee camps, unpaid care work, and partnership models in women’s health.

Steve Hong is currently pursuing an M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. He holds a B.B.A. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Baruch College. His main research interests revolve around conflict analysis, computational methods in social sciences, and leadership. He is a research coordinator in the Dynamical Conversations Lab at MD-ICCCR and also works at The Conference Board as a research analyst in the Human Capital Center.

Katharina Kugler holds a Ph.D. and a Diplom (combined B.A. and M.A.) in Psychology from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. She is currently a faculty member at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. During her graduate studies she studied for one year at Teachers College, holding a Fulbright Scholarship. Later she spent another year and a half at Teachers College to conduct research for her Ph.D and to work as a Research Assistant for Professor Coleman at the MD-ICCCR, holding a Fellowship in Complexity and Conflict from the MD-ICCCR to study at Teachers College. Her research concentrates on conflicts within organizations.

Regina Kim received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and East Asian Literature from Smith College and a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from Yonsei University, South Korea. Her past research experiences at intuitions like Children’s Hospital Boston and University of California, San Francisco, in addition to her working experiences as a consultant strengthened her interests in organizational psychology and she completed a doctoral degree in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include the issues of justice, interpersonal conflicts, stereotypes and culture.

Elisabeth Mah is currently pursuing a PhD in Social Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research interests include cross-cultural dynamics, inter/intra group relations, and cognition within the context of negotiation and conflict resolution processes. She is also interested in the role of the military in diplomatic engagement. Prior to Columbia, Elisabeth served as a research associate at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI. She holds a B.A. in Psychology and East Asian Studies from Smith College.

Diego is a student in the Social-Organizational Psychology PhD program at Teachers College, Columbia University. He holds a master’s degree in Counseling and Mental Health Services from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Latin American Studies from Willamette University. Diego’s main research interests revolve around the study of diversity and multicultural conflict in organizations, intractable conflict, and cooperation and collaboration in organizations.

Margot Rejaud is a Master's Student in the Clinical Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is interested in Clinical & Social Psychology, specifically Mood and Personality Disorders and IPT and REBT treatments. She has been a part of MDICCCR since September 2019.

Sofia-Jeanne Roggeveen is currently pursing an M.A. in Social-Organizational Psychology and holds a B.S. in Cognitive Science. Her background is in the technology and nonprofit sectors, interspersed with entrepreneurial endeavors. She is interested in culture and change management on a national level in light of the current socio-political climate, as well as on an organizational level in crafting more effective, diverse, and empowered workplaces.

Catherine Serianni is an undergraduate student in Columbia College pursuing a double-major in Psychology and Human Rights.  She is especially interested in the intersections between conflict research, psychology, and public policy development, particularly within the context of religious and cultural conflict; and it was these interests that drew her to the work of the Morton Deutsch Center.  Within the MD-ICCCR currently, she is developing the CMOD study, while also working in the Dynamical Conversations Lab and on the CCA project.

Vincent is a second-year MIA student in Development and Conflict Resolution at the School for International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and History as well as a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, both from the University of Heidelberg, Germany. He is interested in the intersection between politics and psychology in areas such as conflict resolution, behavioral economics or human-centered policy design. Prior to Columbia, Vincent headed the methodology department of the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK), which collects qualitative and quantitative data on non-violent and violent political conflicts worldwide. 

Chris Straw supports applications projects and other initiatives related to the Dynamical Systems Theory at the Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity (AC4).  Her interests lie in considering conflict, cooperation and collaboration through a systems lens, recognizing that history, relationships and dynamics matter. She holds an MS from Columbia University’s program in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and an MBA from Temple University. She also holds a Certificate in Conflict Resolution Studies from the ICCCR at Teachers College. Chris is an experienced manager, having worked in a variety of positions in the governmental, for-profit and educational sectors. She is also a certified community mediator, mediating community disputes at Community Mediation Services in Queens, NY.

Fatma Susan Tufan is currently pursuing her MA in the Social-Organizational Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University, as well as a Certificate in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution from the MD-ICCR. She holds a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Peace and Justice studies from Moravian College. Her research interests include intra and intergroup conflicts, conflict transformation, intractable conflicts, and sustainable peace.

Lea Lynn Yen is a current PhD student in Social-Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds an M.S. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Pomona College. Her research interests include diversity, equity, and inclusion, cross-cultural issues, and performance appraisals and feedback in the workplace. Her work experience includes supporting HR Business Partners as well as Leadership and Learning Development teams.

Rose Fiorentino has held senior communications, media and negotiation roles for nearly twenty years. Dedicated to conflict resolution practices on a local and national level, she currently serves as a strategy and communications advisor with the New York Peace Institute, a non-profit mediation center, and advises corporations and nonprofits on creative solutions and conflict resolution approaches.  Currently pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution at MD- ICCCR at Columbia University, she joined the work group as a facilitator in the Dynamical Conversations Lab and supports ongoing research studies. She also holds a B.A. in Communications from Temple University.

Sawsan Eskander completed an Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2021. She is passionate about understanding political conflicts and finding ways to bridge political divides. She has 15 years of work experience in various data-intensive roles and is a near-qualified Actuary. She enjoys writing computer codes, building data models, and creating data visualizations.

Victoria recently joined the workgroup after graduating with an M.S in negotiation and conflict resolution from Columbia University.  Victoria is interested in how the field of research can provide solutions to real world problems. Victoria is strongly interested in policy research, particularly policy pertaining to LGBTQ+ individuals, and other areas of social justice. She also holds a B.A in English from Boston University.

Mo Khan is a first-year masters student in the Social-Organizational Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition to the masters program, Mo is pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Cooperation and Conflict Resolution with the MD-ICCCR. He currently works as a Culture & Engagement Associate at WPP Group, managing the DEI programs of 50+ advertising agencies across the globe. Mo is a member of the Dynamical Conversations Lab workgroup.

Rebecca Mandelbaum is currently a M.S. student in Columbia University’s Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program. She graduated from Brown University with bachelor's degrees in international relations and Judaic studies. Her interests include international diplomacy, intergroup conflict, transitional justice, sustainable peace, education and conflict, and ethnonationalism. 

Shaun Munroe is currently pursuing his M.S. in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution at Columbia University and holds a B.A. in Psychology from Penn State University. During his time at Penn State, he facilitated race relations, climate change, and international dialogues for Penn State students, NATO cadets, and AIBA (Afghan Independent Bar Association), among other participants from around the world. In addition to his studies, Shaun continues to train facilitators, teach diversity workshops, and lead conversations around unlearning and empathy. Shaun’s research interests are within conflict analysis, dynamical systems, dialogue dynamics, and intergroup conflict dynamics.

Nesha Rosado is a recent graduate of the Negotiation and Conflict Resolution master’s program at Columbia University. Prior to pursuing her degree, Nesha consulted over 10 companies within media production and project management. Upon recognizing an opportunity to address organizational conflict and social issues (such as DE&I and EEO policies) on a larger scale, she made the decision to change her career.

Nesha is now a facilitator at Fisher Law Practice in addition to being actively involved with the Association for Conflict Resolution Greater NY Chapter, Inc. (ACR-GNY) and the Dynamical Conversations Lab at the Morton Deutsch Center.

Madhur is the Research Assistant at the MD-ICCCR and the Dynamical Conversations Lab.  He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science and has a multidisciplinary research background in neuroscience, psychology, and education. His research interests lie at the intersection of decision-making, negotiation dynamics, and developing interventions to reduce political and violent conflict. In his free time, Madhur enjoys eating chocolate glazed Krispy Kreme donuts with sprinkles.

Shai Tamary is an Ed.M. Student in the International and Comparative Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and serves as the Co-Chair of Diversity & Inclusion for the Society of International Education.  Her main research interests lie at the intersection of education, ethnicity, and peacebuilding in regions of intractable social conflict. She received her B.A. in Global Liberal Studies; Law, Ethics, and Religion, and M.A. in International Relations from New York University. Shai is also the Director of WEVE Acceleration, NYC’s premier startup accelerator for US market entry and expansion. She has been a part of MD-ICCCR and the Dynamical Conversations Lab since October 2021.