Established in 2002 by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University the International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative (IHLRI) is a research, policy and information project that promotes a scientific approach to emerging challenges in the implementation and enforcement of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). In support of this mission, IHLRI aims (i) to develop and support an international network of scholars, policymakers and humanitarian practitioners working on related themes and (ii) to serve as a central resource for initiatives related to the reaffirmation and development of IHL. This project was created as an independent initiative to complement other law-making and implementation efforts led by states, the International Committee of the Red Cross and international governmental organizations.

Through its publications, advisory services, expert meetings, and didactic programs, IHLRI cultivates and provides opportunities for knowledge exchange, skill acquisition and critical engagement with contemporary issues. Committed to forming and sustaining networks of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners throughout the world, IHLRI harnesses traditional and cutting-edge platforms – such as its Distance Learning Initiative and its comprehensive online IHL database – to develop and disseminate IHL scientific research globally. The Advanced Trainings, Thematic Workshops, and Live Webseminars further supplement its operational and educational reach. 

Claude Bruderlein, Director of the Program, is a Lecturer on International Health and Co-Director of the Master’s Program in Global Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. In Winter 2004 he was appointed as Jeremiah Smith, Jr., Lecturer on Law at the Harvard Law School. He has been engaged in international humanitarian protection since 1985. After obtaining a B.A. in economics and political science at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, he was granted a law degree from the University of Geneva Law School. He then served with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a delegate in Iran, Israel and the Occupied Territories, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen. In 1996, Mr. Bruderlein received a Master's degree in Law from Harvard Law School and was admitted to the New York Bar. That same year, he joined the United Nations in New York as Special Advisor on Humanitarian Affairs.

Elizabeth Holland is a Program Associate and Head of Curriculum Development for the Program's trainings and workshops on humanitarian law, policy and practice. Ms. Holland's work focuses on tailoring the methodology and substantive focus of these events to the humanitarian professional community. Ms. Holland has presented lectures to professionals and students in North America and Europe on various topics related to the interpretation and implementation of IHL. She is a J.D. candidate at Suffolk Law School and holds a M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies and a B.A from Providence College.

Angharad D. Laing is a Program Associate at HPCR. In this position, she is responsible for conducting research and supervising maintenance for the Program's Information Portals, including IHL, OPT, and Iraq; preparing briefing notes and information pages on a variety of subjects to be posted on the Portals; and assisting in the production of other Program projects and activities, including papers, training sessions, seminars, conferences, and working groups. Prior to taking the position of Junior Associate, Ms. Laing was a Research Assistant with HPCR's International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative. She has also been employed as a legal assistant for a Boston attorney, and as the Coordinator of the Visiting Scholars Program at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Ms. Laing received her A.B. in philosophy from Harvard University in 2002.

Dustin A. Lewis is a Junior Associate focusing on the Program's international law portfolio. Previously, Dustin served as a Visiting Professional in Chambers at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He received an LL.M. summa cum laude in International Law of Human Rights and Criminal Justice from Utrecht University and an A.B. cum laude in History from Harvard University. At Utrecht, Dustin drafted amicus curiae briefs submitted on behalf of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. His law journal article examines international law pertaining to sexual violence against men in conflict.

Naz Modirzadeh is an Associate Director at HPCR, where she manages the international humanitarian law and Middle East portfolios. Ms. Modirzadeh previously worked for Human Rights Watch, and later served as Assistant Professor and Director of the International Human Rights Law graduate program at the American University in Cairo. She has carried out field research and trainings in the Middle East and Afghanistan, focusing on the intersections between Islamic law, international human rights and humanitarian law, and post-conflict legal reform. Her publications include policy and monitoring reports on the use of torture, the application of IHL, and human rights in post-war Afghanistan. Ms. Modirzadeh received her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.