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CONSULTING

EDUCATION

RESEARCH

EXECUTIVE

PRESIDENT & CEO
Marian Gh. Simion, MA, PhD

Dr. Marian Gh. Simion is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity and IPSEC's founder. He is an educator, theologian, political scientist, musician, and author who devoted his career to the study of religion and political violence. He is a frequent commentator on geopolitical strategies that involve Orthodox Christianity, Islam and militant secularism, and has appeared on Voice of America, Romania’s NPR, Antena3, TrinitasTV, SperantaTV (in Romania), and on other media outlets. Dr. Simion is also a Senior Fellow at the Center for World religions, Diplomacy, & Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, and a Visiting Professor of Strategic Management, Econimics and AI ethics at Fitchburg State University. He is the author of several scholarly papers and books--including a textbook, Research Methodology in Orthodox Peace Studies--and co-editor of Religion and Public Policy: Human Rights, Conflict and Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2015). He taught at Harvard University, Boston College, and Hellenic College (where he served as Chair of the Religious Studies Department), and lectured around the world on international security, conflict resolution, and religious diplomacy; most recently in South Africa, Romania, China, Korea, Syria, Germany, UK, and others. (more…)

SENIOR FELLOWS

SENIOR FELLOW
Tanya von Wyk, Ph.D.

Dr. Tanya van Wyk holds a PhD in theology and is an associate professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics at the Faculty of Theology and Religion of the University of Pretoria, in the Republic of South Africa. A National Research Foundation (NRF) rated scholar, her teaching responsibilities include Christian Spirituality, Christian Ethics and Systematic Theology. Professor van Wyk’s current research foci include discourses about inclusive language, political theology, gender, feminist theology and ethics, as well as religion and sustainable development with a focus on gender equity. Professor Van Wyk is a PhD advisor and the Deputy-Chairperson of the Faculty’s Research Ethics Committee. She is currently a research fellow with the Programme for Religious Communities and Sustainable Development at Humboldt University (Berlin) and associated with the International Network for Religion and Sustainable Development. She is an ordained minister of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa (NRCA/NHKA). Her most recent publications include: “Protesting patriarchal power: The task of political theology in creating solidarity and sustaining activism: (Concilium Internationl Journal for Theology); “To die and to let die: A just theology of ceding space” (Acta Theologica 40(1); “Reproductive health, deconstructed: A nonbinary understanding of the womb” (in Reconceiving reproductive health; AOSIS BOOKS), “Redressing the past, doing justice in the present: Necessary paradoxes” (HTS Theological Studies 75(4)), and others. At IPSEC professor van Wyk focuses on developing programmatic cooperation between IPSEC and the University of Pretoria in the areas of religion, peace and global affairs, in light of the recently adopted protocol of cooperation between IPSEC and the University of Pretoria.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (2024-2025)
Abel Joshua Abey (funded by Harvard University)

Abel Joshua Abey is a first-year MDiv student at Harvard Divinity School, where his main research focuses on the intersection between pre-rabbinic Judaism and Syriac Christian spiritualities. His focus is centered on similarities within the ancient Semitic world in its structure, including liturgical calendars and poetic forms of didactical style. His goal is to explore the themes that brought together both traditions prior to the 4th century CE. Before coming to Harvard, he studied Greek, Hebrew, and East Syriac languages at the Pontifical Oriental Institute of Religious Studies and worked as a program staff in the regional ecumenical organization of Asia-Australia, known as the Christian Conference of Asia, and frequently volunteered with the World Council of Churches. He is a strong advocate of ecumenism, ecumenical dialogues, and inter-traditional communions within world Christianity. Abel completed his Bachelor's in Finance and Accounting at the University of Mumbai and worked in Investment Banking before shifting into Religion and Theology. He belongs to the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, which was established by St. Thomas the Apostle. At IPSEC, Abel’s work is centered on the pragmatic impact of ritual developed by the Malankara Mar Thoma tradition as meaning-making mechanism that constructs and/or deconstructs collective violence in the context of Indian religious pluralism.

CHAIR
Denise E. Burrill, PhD

Denise Burrill (Simion) is the Chair of IPSEC Board of Trustees and a co-founder of IPSEC. She is an Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems in the School of Business and Technology of Fitchburg State University, in Fitchburg, MA and Associate Researcher at the Corhis Research Center of Paul Valéry University Montpellier 3, in France, where she received her PhD. Dr. Burrill (Simion) holds a Masters of Liberal Arts in Management with a Nonprofit Administration concentration from Harvard University. She is a recipient of the Harold V. Langlois Outstanding Scholar Award for “demonstrated exceptional academic accomplishment and promise as a manager,” and the recipient of the Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award from Harvard University. She has more than fifteen years of experience working in the financial and technology sectors. She has four fabulous children, a wonderful husband, and enjoys fishing, hiking, and sitting by the lake.

VICE-CHAIR
Viorica Burcea, MA, PhD(c)

Ms. Viorica Burcea is the Vice-Chair of the Board and Executive Director of the Scientific Press, in Cambridge, MA, in the USA. She is a PhD candidate in the field of Economic Sciences and Humanities at Athenaeum University of Bucharest. Her main research is in the area of communication from a multi-disciplinary perspective, as particularly informed by aesthetics and health. She holds a BS degree in Kynetotherapy from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of “Gheorghe Anghel” University of Drobeta Tr-Severin, and a Certificate in Graphic Design from Absolute School of Bucharest, Romania. As an avid designer, she masters InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and others, where she explores various methods of how policy communication can be improved through aesthetics and visual arts, particularly via printed media such as brochures, posters, books, and so on. (more...)

SECRETARY/TREASURER
Mugur A. Roz, MD, Ph

Dr. Mugur A Roz is a co-founder and a trustee of the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity. He has studied, taught and conducted research at several institutions of higher education, including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Karl Ruprecht” University (Heidelberg, Germany), University of Copenhagen (Copenhagen, Denmark), and others. Dr. Roz is the author of five books and more than 50 articles on various IT topics, medicine and information technology, as well as science and religion. Dr. Roz has over twenty years of experience in various fields of Information Technology.

RECENT ASSOCIATES

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (2023-2024)
Xinran Li (funded by Harvard University)

Xinran Li is a Research Associate at the IPSEC, while pursuing a Master of Divinity degree at Harvard University—now in her third year of study. Xinran’s research focuses on the methodological practices from Eastern and Western traditions, and in the interactions and comparisons between Chinese and Western cultures and philosophies. Specifically she focuses on the impact of Christian missionary activities in Qing Dynasty China and their practical influences with Eastern and Western societies. At IPSEC, Xinran aspires to utilize the expertise offered by IPSEC staff in an effort to bridge various gaps that exist between Eastern and Western discourses, and between Orthodox Christianity, the Chinese spiritual culture and beyond.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (2023-2024)
Alexander John Paul Lutz (funded by U.S. Department of Education and Harvard University)

Alexander John Paul Lutz is a first-year Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies the relationship between religion, the politics of memory, and the formation of group identities. His research examines the dynamics of this relationship and explores its connection to conflict and peace in multi-religious societies. Among many such societies, he is currently studying those found in the former Soviet space, and his recent projects have focused on the Republic of Georgia in particular. He is also broadly interested in questions concerning institutions, democracy, and human rights in the former Soviet space—especially as they relate to religion. At IPSEC, he will be researching the way that conflicting visions for society championed by religious institutions have influenced public policy and sentiment in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. A native of the State of Georgia, he is a recent graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where he majored in International Affairs, Political Science, and History.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (2021-2023)
Tianyi Yuan (funded by Harvard University)

Mr. Tianyi Yuan is a second year Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School. His research interests are oriented toward Jingjiao’s theological dialogues with Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism in the Chinese empire during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 906 C.E.), as well as the impact of his historiographical perceptions of sacred history from Mesopotamia to the Chinese Central Plain. At Harvard, Mr Yuan studies Syriac and related topics in the history of Christianity, as well as Tang Buddhist Scriptures. As a Research Associate at IPSEC, he hopes to develop his understanding of some of the unexplored aspects of Eurasian history of religion, by analyzing Orthodox Christian liturgical symbols, sacred imagery, and devotional body language in ritual interaction and communication. Mr Yuan considers that by exploring Orthodox Christians’ practice of some of the most unique Orthodox symbols he can make better sense of Jingjiao’s inculturation and the vitality of Christian faith and traditions in the Tang empire. Mr. Tianyi Yuan was born in Beijing and studied in Shanghai until the age of 15, when he came to the US. After finishing high School in Somers, N.Y., he attended Providence College where he majored in Theology and Philosophy. At Providence College Mr Yuan studied Jingjiao and the Church of East under the mentorship of Dr. Arthur P. Urbano. (more...). At Harvard Divinity School, Mr. Yuan is a field education student working under the academic supervision of Dr. Marian Simion.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (2019-2020)
Emmanuel J. Correa Vázquez (funded by U.S. Department of Education and Harvard University)

Emmanuel J. Correa Vázquez is a first year MDiv student at Harvard Divinity School. He is currently developing his interests in Christian Ethics, Literature and Spirituality, with the mindset of training for the chaplaincy and possibly pursuing a PhD in Theology. As a Research Associate at IPSEC, Emmanuel hopes to explore and deepen his understanding of Eastern Christianity, a tradition he has loved and been fascinated by for many years. He hopes he can contribute to the visibility and appreciation of Eastern Christianity and its wealth of spiritual and theological literature. Emmanuel was born and raised in Cayey, Puerto Rico and graduated from the University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras with a degree in Hispanic Studies. While there he researched and worked on the relationship between Latin American literature and mysticism.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE (2016-2018)
Shannon Schmidt (funded by U.S. Department of Education and Harvard University)

Shannon Noe`lani Schmidt is a first-year student at Harvard Divinity School, where she is concentrating her studies on the intersection of religion and politics. As a student at Harvard and a research associate at IPSEC, Shannon hopes to build upon her background in political organizing and interfaith outreach. In the past, Shannon worked as St. Augustine, Florida’s Director of Community Outreach for the 2016 Democratic Coordinated Campaign. In the Spring of 2017 she managed and won a city commission campaign for the youngest commissioner ever to be elected in Gainesville, Florida. Shannon has served as an ecumenical delegate to the United Nations’ 61st Commission on the Status of Women, and has worked as a Compassion, Peace, and Justice Fellow with the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. Shannon originally hails from the great state of New Jersey, and conducted her undergraduate studies at Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

The Late Raymond G. Helmick, SJ (1931-2016)

Fr. Raymond G. Helmick, S.J., is a co-founder and a trustee of the Institute for Peace Studies in Eastern Christianity. He was a professor of conflict resolution at Boston College and a conflict mediator. He has been involved in Northern Ireland since 1972, with the Kurds of Iraq since 1973, with the Lebanese factions since 1982, with Israelis and Palestinians since 1985, with the Kurds of Turkey since 1992, and with the various Balkan countries since1995. He mediated negotiations between the IRA Army Council and the Northern Ireland Office for six weeks during the hunger strike of 1981. Father Helmick also was invited to the White House for the 1993 signing of the peace accord between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. He joined the Reverend Jesse Jackson in his 1999 mission to Belgrade, then to Lebanon in 2006. He is the author of Negotiating Outside the Law: Why Camp David Failed (London: Pluto Press, 2004); Living Catholic Faith in a Contentious Age (London: Continuum, 2010); The Crisis of Confidence in the Catholic Church (Bloomsbury: T&T Clark, 2014), and numerous others. (more...)

COMMITTEE FOR INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

Dr. Paul Brusanowski (ROMANIA: ‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu)
Dr. Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru (ROMANIA: ‘Timotheus’ Brethren Theological Institute)
Dr. Marian Simion (USA: Harvard Divinity School)

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC BOARD | The Scientific Press®

Social Sciences and Humanities
Dr. Titus Corlățean (ROMANIA: “Dimitrie Cantemir” Christian University)
Dr. Marian Simion (USA: Harvard University)
Dr. Zorica Triff (ROMANIA:Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, North University Center from Baia Mare)

Business and Economics
Dr. Nelu Burcea (USA: Harvard University)
Dr. Emilia Vasile (ROMANIA: Athenaeum University)
Dr. Otilia Manta (ROMANIA: Centre for Financial and Monetary Research of the Romanian Academy – Victor Slăvescu; Athenaeum University)

Teaching and Education
Dr. Ioan-Gheorghe Rotaru (ROMANIA: ‘Timotheus’ Brethren Theological Institute)
Dr. Dorin-Gheorghe Triff (ROMANIA:Technical University of Cluj-Napoca)

Science and Technology
Mr. Mihnea Costoiu (ROMANIA: Politehnica University)
Dr. Guofu Liu (CHINA: Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing)

MENTORS

The following list includes some of the most influential past and current personal mentors of IPSEC Founder:

• H.E. Sorin Cimpeanu (Professor, former Prime Minister of Romania)
• H.E. Mihnea Costoiu (Professor, Romanian Senator, former Romanian Minister of Higher Education)
• H.H. Governor Michael S. Dukakis (Distinguished Professor, Doctoral Advisor, 1988 candidate for US President)
• Dr. Marc Gopin (Rabbi, Professor, Mediator)
• Rev. Nicholas Greanias (Lawyer, former US Consul, Greek Orthodox Priest)
• Dr. Heinz-Gerhard Justenhoven (Professor)
• Dr. David Little (Professor)
• Dr. Joseph Montville (Political Psychologist, author of Track-Two Diplomacy)
• Rev. Dr. Dudley Rose (Associate Dean Emeritus, Harvard Divinity School)
• Dr. John Witte, Jr. (Professor of Law)