Catherine Lourdes (Kate) Dy holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Université Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium alongside a Ph.D. in political theory from the LUISS Guido Carli di Roma in Italy. Her doctoral research explored international human rights norms through the unpacking of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in the transnational, regional, and local contexts.

At present, Kate is a project manager and researcher with the Peace Action, Training and Research Institute of Romania (PATRIR) where she works in the Department of Peace Operations, managing Project CHAMPIONs which seeks to address polarization, radicalization, and violent extremism in Romania, Hungary, Poland, and Germany. She is also actively involved with the migration and refugee line, specifically working with Third Country Nationals and victims of human trafficking in Romania.

She is also currently affiliated as an ingénieur de recherche (research engineer) with the Université Catholique de Lyon’s RELIMIG project on Catholic migrants in France. The project unpacks the role of being affiliated with the majority religion in relation to the integration of migrant populations. The RELIMIG project began in 2018 and will end in 2021.

Additional affiliations include a chercheuse associée (associate researcher) position with the East Asia Research Center (EAST) as well as a collaboratrice scientifique (scientific collaborator) position with the Laboratoire d'Anthropologie des Mondes Contemporains (LAMC) based at the ULB. Prior to this, Kate was an Australian Leadership Award Scholar at The Australian National University, where she graduated with an MA in International Relations and a Master of Diplomacy in 2012. She has also taught at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Her research foci include migration and integration studies; combating polarization, radicalization, and violent extremism; conflict management; and a continuing interest in sexual and reproductive rights.