Maysoon is an infectious disease epidemiologist and the co-director of the research group. Over the past 19 years she has focused primarily on conducting operational health research programmes in low-income countries especially in crises affected settings. She has worked with Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Malawi, Save the Children USA in Ethiopia, The Aurum Institute for Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in South Africa, as well as the Sudan Federal Ministry of Health, and consults for various other organizations, primarily supporting refugee health operational research with UNCHR across the Middle East, East Africa and Asia.

Nada is a medical doctor and epidemiologist with extensive experience in public health programming in humanitarian settings. She filled a variety of technical advisory and programmatic roles, supporting design, delivery and monitoring of health programmes in Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Turkey among other crises.

Nada holds a Postgraduate Diploma and Master of Science in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and is a member of the Global Health Cluster’s Public Health Information Services Task Team. She is currently undertaking her PhD at LSHTM.

Nada is a founding member of the Sudan Research Group.

Rahaf is a pharmacist and a public health researcher. Over the past 9 years, she has supported the implementation and development of various programmes and research studies focusing on crisis-affected populations and humanitarian settings in Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and the UK. She has worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the British Red Cross (BRC), Our Hearts with You Foundation (OHWY), King’s College London (KCL) and different community-led organisations, focusing on nutrition in emergencies, mental health, antibiotic resistance, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), education and COVID-19. She holds an MPH from the University of Leeds with the prestigious Chevening Scholarship Award from the UK Government. Currently, Rahaf is completing her PhD focusing on co-production of research in humanitarian settings.

Abd Elhameed is a researcher and youth engagement expert. He demonstrated commitment as the National Coordinator for Research and Advocacy for the COVID-19 Research and Advocacy Project in Sudan. Here, Abd Elhameed managed diverse studies with Sudan COVID-19 Research Group, spanning across diverse communities. Abd Elhameed has been a member of Y-PEER Sudan since 2016 peer educator and a trainer since 2018. He is the former president of the Youth Mechanism for Children Protection in North Kordofan which works in the areas of Reproductive Health, Gender Based Violence, FGM, and Child Marriage and Peacebuilding. Currently, he is serving as the State Coordinator for the Carter Center's Peace Program in North Kordofan, Sudan, since September 2022. In this pivotal role, he leads the Youth Citizen Observation Network (YCON) project, overseeing state-level activities, coordinating with partners, and crafting detailed work plans. Their proficiency extends to submitting comprehensive reports to the Carter Center, showcasing strong organizational and leadership skills.  With a foundation in academia, Abd Elhameed served as a Teaching and Research Assistant at the University of Kordofan from October 2016 until October 2017. where he got his MSc in Parasitology (Zoology) in 2021. In this role, he was guiding students, conducting practical lectures, and consistently showcasing leadership. Driven by a passion for research, advocacy, and youth empowerment, Abd Elhameed brings a wealth of experience and a demonstrated commitment to positive societal impact.

Aljaili is a regional master trainer/instructional designer for Y-PEER in the Middle East and North Africa and is currently a MSc candidate in Sustainable Development at SOAS, University of London. He has extensive expertise in developing and implementing youth programs in several countries in the region, including how to incorporate young people’s inputs into policy and programming processes.

Israa is an MSc graduate from the Development and Research Studies Institute at the University of Khartoum. Throughout her experience, she has supported the implementation of different programs focused on women's economic empowerment, BMI, protection and gender equality. With IFAD, Sudanese development call organisation NIDAA. She’s an advocate for youth participation and youth development and currently supports Y-PEER engagement and capacity-building programs in the area of research.

Nazik is a public health specialist, with over 10 years of working experience in public health practice and research in higher education, government sector and the World Health Organization. She holds a PhD in Community Dentistry from the University of Bergen (Norway), is a member of the Faculty of Public Health (Royal College of Physicians, UK) and Fellow of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research Institute (USA). Nazik was able to branch out in her career from dental public health to the promotion and protection of general human health.

Reem has almost 15 years of experience across several countries as an ER clinician, public health policy researcher, lecturer, writer and filmmaker. She obtained her MPH from University of Liverpool and has consulted for several entities including the WHO country office in Khartoum, the Transitional Sudanese Government and Federal Ministry of Health, GHD/EMPHNET and different health communication campaigns in the MENA region.

Her experience includes knowledge translation in written and audiovisual form to promote health and citizen empowerment, and her research interests include social determinants of health, social justice, and advancing the role of women in political change. She writes for several platforms, has over 150 published blogs, articles and book contributions, has directed and researched for several documentary films and videos, and was recently shortlisted for the prestigious Miles Moreland Foundation Scholarship awarded to published African writers.

Salma is a public health professional and researcher from a medical background based in Sudan. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Public Health at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Salma holds a Master's degree in Public and Tropical Health, as well as an MPhil in International Community Health from the University of Oslo, Norway. Salma has more than 10 years of diverse research experience working on issues related to maternal and women health, HIV prevention, implementation of health projects and community-based interventions, policy making, and research with Sudan Federal Ministry of Health, national organizations, research institutions, and several UN agencies and NGOs. She is especially interested in qualitative research.

A public health researcher with over five years of experience. My expertise lies in research, advocacy, and program management, particularly among crisis-affected populations and community health improvement. Currently, I’m a Research Coordinator for the Sudan Research Group and a Master’s student in Epidemiology at the University of Khartoum. I’ve worked with the Ministry of Health, World Food Programme, the Combating Violence Against Women Unit, and Albalsam Hospital. Beyond my professional commitments, I’m an active volunteer, involved in various initiatives such as the Sudan Youth Peer Education Network, Go Green Sudan, the Sudanese Childhood Diabetes Association, and the Sudan Youth Parliament for Water.

Bothaina is a medical doctor by training from Khartoum, Sudan. Through her medical practice in rural, urban and voluntary work, she gained a keen interest of public health that motivated her to apply for MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine. This MSc sparked further interest in social sciences and ignited her deep rooted passion for gender equality and health equity. Where she decided to apply for a DPhil in Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation, looking into the relationship between climate change and inter-personal violence against adolescent girls in Sub-Saharan Africa. She is also working as a research assistant in the Accelerate Team along with inspiring and incredible researchers working towards the overarching goals of improving the lives of adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Muez Ali is an aspiring energy economist. He holds an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Sheffield and a Master's degree in sustainable energy technologies from the University of Southampton. Having realised (almost too late) that people are more interesting than objects, he decided to switch to the social sciences and pursue a PhD in energy economics. He is currently being transformed into an energy economist under the tutelage of Neil and Paolo.

Before starting a PhD at UCL Muez was a researcher at the National Energy Research Centre and the University of Khartoum in Sudan.

Dr Mona Ibrahim is the policy engagement coordinator in the UKRI GCRF Accelerate Hub, based in the University of Oxford. Her role is to support research uptake to build evidence-based policies and programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Holding a medical degree and an MSc, Mona’ background is in tropical medicine and international health. She has worked on a range of themes including health system strengthening, HIV and AIDS, pro-poor health equity, food security, and social safety nets. She is keen to continue supporting human rights-based approaches to improve population health wellbeing – especially in post-conflict and fragile settings. Mona also held advisory positions across major international actors including the WHO, UNDP, and WFP.