Melanie Quintero studied political science at the University of Heidelberg, Science Po Paris and the Universidad Javeriana in Cali followed by a Master degree in Arab World Studies at the University of Edinburgh. Since 2010 she has worked as a researcher for the Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research (HIIK). She gained work experience at the department for politics and human rights at the German embassy in Bogota, UNITAR and the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights. During her fellowship year she focuses on the vulnerability of women as refugees in the Middle East.