Steering Committee

The Alumni Program is led by alumni themselves. We are proud to introduce the members of the first Alumni Steering Committee, led by Officer Cadet Ali Lasheen, Forum alumni from Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom who have volunteered to shape the programme and keep our community connected. Additional members will be announced in the coming weeks.

Ali Lasheen

Committee Lead & Chair  •  Royal Military College Saint-Jean — Canada

Officer Cadet Lasheen is a fourth-year student in the International Studies program at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean and has been a member of the Canadian Armed Forces since 2022. His academic interests focus on international security, geopolitics, defence policy, and emerging security challenges. During his studies, he completed a semester-long exchange at the Polish Land Forces University in Wrocław, Poland, and participated in the IFPSP in both 2025 and 2026. Through the Forum, he engaged with students, academics, and professionals from around the world, exchanging perspectives on global challenges and exploring how dialogue, cooperation, and mutual understanding contribute to building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous future. Following graduation, he hopes to pursue a career where he can contribute to Canada’s national security.

Tristan Hooper

Coordinator of Communications  •  University of Edinburgh — United Kingdom

Tristan is currently studying MA History and Politics at the University of Edinburgh. He is an Officer Cadet at East Scotland University Royal Naval Unit, serves as the IFPSP’s Coordinator of Communications, and has been an active member of the committee over the last year. He has recently studied the post-WWI settlement in Southern Europe, pre-modern development of trade across Afro-Eurasia, and comparative approaches to contemporary populism, and aspires to a career in international relations. Hailing from Birmingham, UK, he is a supporter of Aston Villa football club, and has represented the Royal Navy in competitive sailing abroad. In his free time Tristan enjoys hiking, playing hockey, and clay pigeon shooting. He will spend the 2026/27 academic year on exchange at Sciences Po Paris, and is very much looking forward to working with the alumni committee this year.

Marleen Tamtik

Committee Secretary  •  University of Birmingham — United Kingdom

Marleen Tamtik is a recent graduate from the University of Birmingham, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern Languages with honours, and has a great interest in international relations and history alongside foreign languages. She has plans to continue her studies into the field of linguistics. She previously attended the annual International Forum for Peace, Security, and Prosperity (IFPSP) in March 2026 as an Officer Cadet for the University Royal Naval Unit (URNU), and aspires to pursue a career within the Royal Navy after her studies as either a logistics or warfare officer. During her time in Palermo back in March, her poster on national resilience models achieved 3rd place in the poster competition amongst military academics, and she hopes to carry on the conversations and ideas surrounding the incredible forum of peace, security, and prosperity, hoping to share her skill in research and insight.

Marlene Cordts

Committee Secretary  •  TU Dresden / University of Konstanz & Utrecht University — Germany

Marlene Cordts recently completed her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at the Dresden University of Technology, where she developed an interdisciplinary perspective at the intersection of public international law, political science, and economics. She will continue her studies in a Double Degree Master’s programme specialising in European Governance at the University of Konstanz (Germany) and Utrecht University (the Netherlands). Marlene is particularly interested in interdisciplinary approaches to peacebuilding processes, European security and defence policy, international diplomacy, and civilian-military interfaces. She has volunteered with various projects and associations, including an initiative to promote youth participation in international affairs and the Young European Federalists. She is fluent in German and English and has advanced knowledge of French and Italian.

Catherine Mulder

University of Aberdeen — United Kingdom

Catherine Mulder is a Neuroscience and Psychology undergraduate at the University of Aberdeen and an officer cadet within the Highland Officer Training Regiment. Her academic focus on behavioural psychology and cognitive neuroscience combines with practical peacebuilding experience across East Africa, where she has worked with community organisations in Rwanda and Kenya to strengthen local peace initiatives and trauma-informed care practices. Over three years with UOTC, Catherine has developed leadership skills while maintaining a deep commitment to grassroots community engagement. Her work addresses the intersection of psychological resilience and sustainable peace, particularly in post-conflict contexts. She brings both analytical rigour and field experience to her committee work, with a focus on youth engagement and locally-driven solutions to conflict.

David Beermann

University of Bonn — Germany

David Beermann has been a Bachelor student in political science and public law in Bonn, Germany, since October 2024. He specializes in security and foreign policy, with current research focusing on maritime security, hybrid warfare and nuclear deterrence. Alongside his studies, David is a board member of the Bonn Student Association for Foreign and Security Policy (BHAS), part of the wider Academic Association for Security Studies, the largest youth security policy network in Germany. He is also a German Army reservist with the Homeland Defence Division. David is fluent in German, French and English, and is currently learning Russian.

Ilana Zangari

Oxford Brookes University — United Kingdom

Ilana Zangari is an Officer Cadet with the Oxford University Officers’ Training Corps (OUOTC) and is studying Modern Languages with Translation at Oxford Brookes University. After participating in the 2026 IFPSP in Palermo, she joined the Alumni Steering Committee and looks forward to contributing to the continued growth of the programme and its alumni network. Having grown up in Sicily, she has a particular interest in supporting initiatives that promote international dialogue and cooperation in the region. Through her military training and academic studies, Ilana has developed a strong interest in leadership, intercultural communication, and international cooperation. Her experiences across both military and civilian communities have inspired her to promote greater collaboration and mutual understanding between them.

Moritz Habbig

Dresden University of Technology — Germany

Moritz Habbig has been studying Political Science at the Dresden University of Technology since 2022, focusing on European Union governance, peacekeeping, and negotiations in times of crises, with a particular interest in European defence cooperation, including joint arms manufacturing and the interoperability of national armed forces. He is an active member of elbMUN, a student-led organization dedicated to diplomacy and teaching United Nations affairs to an international audience of students. Moritz is an alumnus of the Hertie Foundation’s “doing.politics” programme in Berlin, where he volunteers in the organization of events on current political developments and democracy education. He is fluent in German and English and is currently studying Arabic in connection with his strong interest in Middle Eastern politics.