Sharon Lecocq is a PhD researcher at the Leuven International and European Studies (LINES) Institute and Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (LCGGS) of the University of Leuven. She has academic and practical experience in diplomacy, European foreign policy and (natural resource) conflict analysis. Her geographic area of focus consists of the Middle East and Africa. Sharon currently works on a PhD project revolving around the role of non-state actors as providers of governance in Middle East and North Africa in the context of the CONNECTIVITY project. Sharon previously worked as an assistant to the Jean Monnet Chair on European Foreign Policy and as a researcher for the International Peace Information Service (IPIS ngo). She holds a Master's degree in Near Eastern Studies (University of Leuven, 2013, magna cum laude) and Comparative and International Politics (University of Leuven, 2015, magna cum laude).