Dr. Sanja Bilic

Dr. Sanja Bilic

Dr. Sanja Bilic - POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER

Dr. Sanja Bilic is a Postdoctoral Researcher on the BILQIS ERC project at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, University of Galway. She is also affiliated with the Centre for Law, Religion and Society, contributing to broader discussions on religious pluralism, legal frameworks, and gender justice.

Her research examines Muslim women’s agency and access to justice in European contexts, with a particular focus on Ireland.

Dr. Bilic holds a PhD in Women’s Studies from the University of York, where she explored the religious identities of Muslim women in Bosnia and the UK. Her PhD was collaborative, conducted in partnership with the Women’s National Commission (WNC 1969-2010) in the UK, allowing her to work closely on policy engagement, gender advocacy, and governmental consultation processes. Through this work, she gained first-hand insight into how women's voices are represented in government, particularly through WNC’s contributions to CEDAW shadow reports and policy initiatives on violence against women, employment, migration, and equality legislation.

She has worked extensively in policy, research, and advocacy at both the national and European levels. As Operations Manager at the European Forum of Muslim Women (EFOMW), she developed and led strategic initiatives on gender, anti-discrimination, and minority rights, working closely with EU institutions and civil society networks. She also directed global women’s programs at the Maqasid Institute, leading projects focused on leadership development and policy engagement.

In addition to her academic and policy experience, Dr. Bilic has worked as a research consultant for ENAR and CLAIM, analysing anti-racism policies, discrimination data collection, and civil society engagement in the UK and Germany. Her expertise spans qualitative research, policy analysis, coalition-building, and stakeholder engagement, with a strong focus on anti-discrimination, intersectionality, and Muslim women’s rights in Europe.

Her broader research interests include gender and religion, migration, intersectionality, and the role of civil society in shaping policy and discourse on Muslim communities in Europe.

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