Natasha's Background
Natasha received her Ph.D. in modern European history at New York University, and for many years taught courses on history and philosophy of education at Barnard College/Columbia University in New York City.
In 2003, Natasha shifted her focus to conflict studies, with particular attention to the case of Israel/Palestine. She taught classes on conflict, genocide and human rights at the New School’s Graduate Program in International Affairs (GPIA).
In 2006, for her work on Integrative Conflict Negotiation Simulations at the GPIA, she received The New School Distinguished Teaching Award.
In 2008 she became an accredited mediator, with a degree from Regent’s College in London.
Natasha’s is author of “Educational Philosophy in the French Enlightenment: From Nature to Second Nature” and "Inside the Box: Using Integrative Simulations to Teach Conflict, Negotiation and Mediation".
In 2015 she received the Peter Becker Prize for Peace and Conflict Research, for her book Inside the Box and work with negotiation simulations.
She has co-written (with Neil Caplan) an educational module entitled “The Struggle for Palestine, 1936”, which is part of Barnard College’s Reacting to the Past series. She also has written a variety of op-eds about the Israel/Palestine conflict, which can be accessed on this website.
The Founding of TRACK4
Natasha began to develop TRACK4 in the autumn of 2004 at the Graduate Program in International Affairs (GPIA) of the New School University. She first learned about and was trained in extended simulations by Barnard College historian Mark Carnes, who has developed Reacting to the Past, an innovative and highly successful pedagogical method that consists of a series of multi-week historical simulation games.
Natasha drew on the Reacting to the Past method but taught full-semester long ‘real-time’ simulations dealing with current conflicts. Her goal was to offer students an immersive, direct experience of negotiation and mediation, with all its unpredictability.
In the past ten years, Natasha has adapted and developed TRACK4 simulations to offer training for mediators or mediators-in-training, policy makers and government officials, diplomats, communities directly involved in conflictand corporate and non-profit organizations.
She also offers training-the-trainer courses for those who wish to learn how to design and run simulations.
TRACK4 simulations are run worldwide for various organizations and groups. Contact us to find out more or learn what former participants have said about us.
“The course was a tremendous experience for all involved. It provided the students with an extensive and in-depth knowledge of the dynamics of the situation in Burma, as well as of the structures and processes of the UNSC, and with multiple opportunities to hone their writing, analytical and debating skills. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Gill's expertise can be of great benefit to policymakers, to NGO personnel and to IGO officials. ”
George Andreopoulos, Professor of Political Science and Director Center for International Human Rights, City University of New York