MEET THE TEAM
Co-founder and Chairman
Stefan Meingast, MA
Stefan drives SCENOR’s mission to tackle extremism, terrorism, and radicalisation both online and offline. He directs strategy, manages the team, oversees complex operations, and secures funding to ensure the team’s research translates directly into practical action. With an M.A. in Political Science (LMU Munich) and a Diploma in International Relations (Diplomatic Academy Vienna), Stefan bridges the gap between academic expertise and real-world application, empowering schools, practitioners, and the public through focused training and engagement.
Co-founder and Scientifc Director
Dr Daniela Pisoiu
Daniela leads SCENOR's research projects, driving expertise on terrorism, deradicalisation, and extremism. Her focus is on the complex dynamics of online and offline security threats and translating rigorous academic findings into practical solutions. Holding a PhD from the University of St Andrews' Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence, she translates her scientific research into influential policy advice for government and institutional partners, also through her membership in the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation.
Researcher
Erik Hacker, LLM
Erik provides briefing and advice on developments in global terrorism to ministries, embassies, and international organisations. He leads comprehensive analyses of the threat situation for religious communities in EU countries, complemented by the analysis of extremist social media ecosystems. His analytical method is grounded in his legal background, specifically an LL.M. in Law and Politics of International Security (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). He also teaches at the Universität für Weiterbildung Krems (Austria).
Research Assistant
Lisa Körmeier, BA
Lisa is a research assistant and trainer at SCENOR, specialising in peace and conflict studies, democratic education, and climate-related security issues. She contributes to research on violent extremism, radicalisation, and conspiracy narratives, and develops workshops and training formats for young people and professionals in education and social work . Lisa combines pedagogical experience with strong communication and digital skills, drawing on her background in political science and her work in political education.
SCIENTIFC ADVISORY BOARD
Professor at Swansea University (UK)
Professor Stuart Macdonald
Stuart is Professor of Law at the Hillary Rodham Clinton School of Law, Swansea University, UK. His research focuses on terrorist’s use of the internet. Most recently, he has examined jihadist narratives, the strategies used to disseminate terrorist propaganda online, and regulatory responses. He has received research funding from the British Academy, Welsh Government, US Government, NATO and the EU, among others. Stuart is also the lead organiser of the biennial Terrorism and Social Media (TASM) conference.
Director of in_rex at Fresenius University
Professor Dr Uwe Kemmesies
Uwe is a sociologist and Director of the Institute for Applied Radicalisation Research and Extremism Prevention (in_rex) at Fresenius University of Applied Sciences. After many years of research on drug policy at the universities of Münster, Bremen and Frankfurt, he joined the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in 2003, where he headed the Terrorism and Extremism Research Unit until 2024. Since 2019, he is coordinating the MOTRA research cluster on radicalisation monitoring and knowledge transfer.
HONORARY MEMBERS
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Director of the Institute for Migration and Refugee Research and Management (FORM)
PD Dr Judith Kohlenberger
Judith is an internationally acknowledged expert on migration, integration and refugee studies. Her work has been recognised with awards including the Kurt Rothschild Prize and the Anas Schakfeh Prize for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. She serves on the Integration Council of the City of Vienna and co-edits the Journal for Refugee and Forced Migration Studies. Her book "Das Fluchtparadox" (2022) was named Austria’s Science Book of the Year 2023 and shortlisted for the German Non-Fiction Prize.
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Researcher at University for Continuing Education Krems
Manfred Zentner
Manfred has been researching youth and youth culture since 1997. Until 2000, he worked at the Austrian Institute for Youth Research, followed by a position at the Institute for Youth Culture Research in Vienna. Since 2013, he has been a research associate at the Department for Migration and Globalisation at the University for Continuing Education Krems. He is also a board member of the Austrian Network for Youth Research and has participated in several EU expert groups on youth and youth work. His publications address youth, youth policy, youth work, and integration.
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Researcher at the Documentation Center of Austrian Resistance (DÖW)
Andreas Peham
Andreas has worked at the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW) since the mid-1990s, specialising in research on right-wing extremism. He is a founding member of the Research Group Ideologies and Politics of Inequality (fipu.at). Since the mid-1990s, he has also been active in teacher training and political education in schools, focusing on extremism prevention and on educational approaches that address racism and antisemitism. He has published widely on these topics, for instance "Kritik des Antisemitismus" (2022).