Maria joined the GI-TOC in May 2022 and is an analyst within the Global Policy Team and Managing Editor of the Journal of Illicit Economies and Development (JIED). Maria’s research focuses include Afghanistan and Central Asia. She is a contributor to GI-TOC’s Global Strategy against TOC. She holds a BA degree in art history from the University of Vienna and an MA in advanced international studies from the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. Before joining GI-TOC, Maria supported strategic planning and resource mobilization at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Maria is Belarusian and is fluent in Belarusian, Russian and English, and possesses working proficiency in German.