Core Team
Meet the Core Programme Team
Professor Christine Bell, FBA, FRSE
Programme Director, Steering Committee
Professor Christine Bell is Assistant Principal (Global Justice), and Professor of Constitutional Law, School of Law, University of Edinburgh. She is the Principal Investigator and Director of the Political Settlements Research Programme (PRSP).
Her research interests lie in the interface between constitutional and international law, gender and conflict, and legal theory, with a particular interest in peace processes and their agreements.
Projects: Conceptualisation, Negotiating Peace, Conceptualising Transformation
Themes Coordinator: Conceptualising, Peace Processes
Dr Harriet Cornell, FSA Scot, FHEA
Political Settlements Research Programme Manager
Harriet Cornell is the Programme Manager at the PSRP. Harriet completed a PhD in Economic and Social History, an MSc by Research and an MA (Hons) in History at the University of Edinburgh. Harriet’s interest in global justice stems from her research on power, authority, law and the State in early modern Scotland, including the implications of ‘Statecraft’ for the lives of ordinary people. From March 2019, she is seconded from the Global Justice Academy to the PSRP. Harriet is a Steering Committee Member of the Global Justice Academy and genderED, as well as for PSRP.
Dr Sanja Badanjak
Postdoctoral Researcher
Sanja Badanjak is a Postdoctoral Researcher with the project, based at the University of Edinburgh. She focuses on implementation of tools of quantitative research methodology in the area of political settlements. Her research interests include institutional theory, research design, quantitative methodology in political science, parties and party systems, with a particular interest in established democracies’ responses to intensifying political and economic cross-national integration.
Dr Juline Beaujouan
Research Associate
Juline Beaujouan is a Research Associate with the Political Settlements Research Programme, based at the University of Edinburgh. Juline’s research explores the inclusion of non-state actors and minorities in peace agreements, particularly in the MENA region. Juline received her Ph.D from Durham University where she was awarded the al-Sabah doctoral fellowship. Juline has also completed an MSc in Defence, Development and Diplomacy at Durham University, an MA in International Studies from University Paris-Sud XI, and a double BA in International Law, Languages and Civilisations from the same university. She completed a certificate in Arabic and History of the Near and Middle East at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Devanjan Bhattacharya
Train@Ed Postdoctoral Fellow
Devanjan is a Train@Ed Postdoctoral Fellow with the Political Settlements Research Programme, focusing on collaborative map visualisations for participation and mediation in peace processes. Devanjan holds a PhD and Masters degree in Geomatics Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. His research interests include geospatial data analytics, digital mapping, smart cities applications, spatial data infrastructure, internet of things, and artificial intelligence in geoinformatics.
Allyson Doby
Communications Officer
Allyson Doby is the Communications Officer with the Political Settlements Research Programme, based at the University of Edinburgh. She holds an MSc in Human Rights from The London School of Economics and Political Science and a BA in International Affairs and Spanish from James Madison University. Her research interests include women’s rights, global inequality, and social justice. Prior to joining the PSRP, Allyson worked in international development and youth empowerment organisations in the UK and Central Asia.
Tim Epple
Research Associate
Tim Epple is a Research Associate with the Political Settlements Research Programme. Tim’s research focuses on stabilisation, peacekeeping, and local peace processes on the African continent. He is also exploring ways in which researchers can promote the use of evidence in stabilisation and peacebuilding programming, including through providing rapid reaction research and advice.
Professor Tobias Kelly
Researcher
Professor Tobias Kelly is the Head of Social Anthropology and a Professor of Social Anthropology at the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include human rights, political and legal anthropology, and modern British cultural history.
Projects: Conceptualising transformation
Dr Kathryn Nash
Dr Kathryn Nash is a postdoctoral fellow of PSRP, based at the University of Edinburgh. Her research interests include regional approaches to peace processes. Previously she has researched regional organisations in Africa and normative and institutional change. Kathryn received her PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and has a Master’s degree from Georgetown University in Conflict Resolution. Prior to beginning her PhD, she worked for several years at the U.S. Department of State, first in the Bureau of African Affairs and then in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilisation Operations.
Professor Fiona Mackay
Researcher
Professor Fiona Mackay is the Head of the School of Social and Political Science and a Professor of Politics at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on the impact of gender reform efforts during periods of restructuring and institutional change, addressing gender inequality and gender justice.
Projects: Engendering Institutions, Women’s Activism
Dr Kevin McNicholl
Kevin McNicholl is a Post-Doctoral Researcher on the Political Settlements Research Programme at the University of Edinburgh. His research interests include peace processes, divided societies, national identity, and politics in Northern Ireland and how this is influenced by the Irish border post-Brexit.
Dr Mathias Thaler
Researcher
Dr Mathias Thaler is a Chancellor’s Fellow and Lecturer in Political Theory at the School of Social and Political Science and also the Deputy Director of the Global Justice Academy at the University of Edinburgh. His research focuses on political violence and global justice, using as a general framework of the philosophy of judgment.
Projects: Negotiating Peace
Dr Asanga Welikala
Researcher
Dr Asanga Welikala is Lecturer in Public Law at the School of Law, University of Edinburgh, and Associate Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Constitutional Law. His research interests lie broadly in comparative constitutional law, applied constitutional theory, and Commonwealth constitutional history, and more specifically in the constitutional accommodation of national pluralism. He is involved in and advises the peace processes and concepts theme projects of GJA.
Themes: Peace Processes, Conceptualising
Laura Wise
Research Associate
Laura Wise is a Research Associate with the Political Settlements Research Programme, based at the University of Edinburgh. Her research explores the intersections between minority and territorial politics in the context of peace processes and post-conflict societies. She focuses on sub-national political settlements, local peace agreements, non-dominant minorities, and kin-state politics in borderlands, with a particular interest in Southeastern Europe. Laura hold an MA in Comparative Ethnic Conflict from Queen’s University Belfast and a BSc Econ in International Politics from Aberystwyth University.
Projects: Conceptualisation, Negotiating Peace, Conceptualising Transformation
Robert Wilson
Research Associate
Robert Wilson is a Research Associate with the Political Settlements Research Programme. His research explores local peace processes, examining the impact of inter-group dynamics on processes and the agency of traditionally marginalised local groups, with a particular focus on Yemen. He is also part of supporting research into using experiences and findings of peacebuilding as a source of rapid reaction policy advice. Robert holds an MA Hons. in Politics and History and an MSc. in International Relations from the University of Glasgow.
Professor Louise Mallinder
Researcher
Professor Louise Mallinder is a Professor of Law at Queens University Belfast. Before taking up this post, she was Professor of Human Rights and International Law at TJI at Ulster University. Her research interests include amnesty laws, transitional justice, international criminal law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, restorative justice, database research and socio-legal research.
Dr Zoe Marks
Dr Zoe Marks is a Lecturer in Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. Her research and teaching interests focus on the intersections of conflict and political violence; race, gender and inequality; peacebuilding; and African politics.
Projects: Armed Actors and Power, Engendering Institutions, Women’s Activism, Gender and Political Settlements
Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin
Researcher, Steering Committee
Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is a co-founder and Professor of Law and Associate Director at the Transitional Justice Institute. She holds a dual appointment with the University of Minnesota Law School, US where she is the Robina Chair in Law, Public Policy and Society. Her teaching and research interests are in the fields of international law, human rights law, national security law, transitional justice, and feminist legal theory. She is a core steering group member, and responsible for the delivery of TJI projects.
Projects: Gender and Political Settlements
Theme Co-Coordinator: Gender
Dr Aisling Swaine
Aisling Swaine is Assistant Professor of Gender and Security at the Department of Gender Studies, LSE, where she teaches primarily on the MSc in Women, Peace and Security. Aisling’s research focuses on examining connections and distinctions in conflict-related violence against women across pre-, during and post-conflict contexts such as Liberia, Timor-Leste and Northern Ireland. She also researches on the UN Security Council’s women, peace and security agenda and on related state action plans.
Projects: Gender and Violence
Dr Jan Pospisil
Researcher
Dr Jan Pospisil is a Senior Researcher at the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and a researcher at the Political Settlements Research Programme. His research interests are international security- and development policy, resilience, state legitimacy, state fragility and statebuilding, peace processes and theories of International Relations.
Projects: Conceptualisation, Negotiating Peace, Conceptualising Transfornation
Dr Jonathan Cohen
Researcher, Steering Committee
Jonathan Cohen is Executive Director of Conciliation Resources, where he has been Director of Programmes since 2008 overseeing all Conciliation Resources’ regional programmes.
Projects: Practice Labs, Women’s ‘Success’, Nepal, Afghanistan, Ethiopian-Ogaden, Borderlands
Theme Co-Coordinator: Transformation
Dr Alexander Ramsbotham
Researcher
Dr Alexander Ramsbotham is Head of Accord and Series Editor, Conciliation Resources. He worked as specialist adviser to the House of Lords European Union (EU) Select Committee in its inquiry into the EU Strategy for Africa. Before that he was Head of the Peace and Security Programme at the United Nations Association-UK. He is responsible for the production of Accord and related products, as well as the dissemination across Conciliation Resources’ projects.
Projects: Practice Labs, Women’s ‘Success’, Nepal, Afghanistan, Ethiopian-Ogaden, Borderlands
Theme Coordinator: Transformation
Dr Jakkie Cilliers
Researcher, Steering Committee
Dr Jacobus (Jakkie) Cilliers is the Executive Director of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Head of the African Futures and Innovation Section in Pretoria, South Africa. At present, his main interests relate to Africa’s emerging security architecture as well as issues around Africa’s long-term future.
Projects: Measuring Success and Failure
Theme Co-Coordinator: Measurement
Steve Hedden
Researcher
Mr Steve Hedden is a Researcher in the African Futures and Innovation Section at the Institute for Security Studies. He is also a Research Fellow for the Frederick S. Pardee Centre for International Futures at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He supports the ISS measurement project with a focus on datasets and the use of the International Futures (IFs) forecasting model.
Projects: Measuring Success and Failure
Amanda Lucey
Researcher
Ms Amanda Lucey is a senior researcher in the Conflict Management and Peacebuilding division in the ISS Pretoria office.
Projects: Measuring Success and Failure
Dr Jonathan D. Moyer
Researcher
Dr Jonathan Moyer is the Associate Director of the Frederick S. Pardee Center for International Futures and Research Fellow at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He is responsible for quality control, in particular with regards to data analysis and modelling relying on the International Futures (Ifs) forecasting model.
Projects: Measuring Success and Failure
Dr Julia Schünemann
Researcher, Steering Committee
Dr Julia Schünemann is a Senior Researcher and Project Leader for the African Futures Project. She has previously worked as an independent consultant and researcher with a focus on peace- and statebuilding, state fragility, security, conflict prevention and early warning.
Projects: Measuring Success and Failure
Theme Co-Coordinator: Measurement
Mark Bradbury
Researcher, Steering Committee
Mark Bradbury is the Horn of Africa and East Africa Regional Director of the Rift Valley Institute at the Nairobi office. He is a social analyst with 20 years’ experience in international development and humanitarian aid.
Projects: Stabilisation and Political Settlements
Theme Co-coordinator: Conflict
Connor Clerke
Researcher
Connor Clerke started working with the Rift Valley Institute in February 2016. He holds a BA in International Development from the University of Guelph and an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Projects: Armed Actors and Public Authority, Stabilisation
Dr Kris Brown
Researcher
Dr Kris Brown lectures in Politics at Ulster University, and is a researcher in the Transitional Justice Institute. Kris’s research interests focus on commemoration in deeply divided societies, especially its interaction with transitional justice, victimhood, conflict narratives, political symbols, and national identities. Other research interests include ethno-nationalism, Ulster Loyalism, and modern Irish Republicanism. Kris has published in journals such as the International Journal of Transitional Justice, Human Rights Review, Irish Political Studies and the Journal of Intervention and State Building. He has conducted field research on commemoration and sites of memory in Lebanon, Cyprus, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Berlin, and amongst the Tamil diaspora.
Themes: Gender
Professor Monica McWilliams
Researcher
Professor Monica McWilliams is Professor of Women’s Studies. She was formerly the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (2005-2011) and responsible for delivering the advice on a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland. Her published work focuses on domestic violence, human security and the role of women in peace processes.
Projects: Gender and Violence
Dr Catherine O’Rourke
GenderResearcher, Steering Committee
Dr Catherine O’Rourke is a Senior Lecturer in Human Rights and International Law at the Transitional Justice Institute. Catherine research interests covers engagement by women’s movements with transitional justice processes, the gendered outcomes of transitional justice processes and gender and reparations. She is active in local feminist politics in Belfast, especially on issues of gender, dealing with the past and reproductive rights. Catherine is responsible for the day-to-day delivery of TJI projects.
Projects: Negotiating Peace, Gender and Political Settlements, Gender Norms
Theme Co-coordinator: Gender
Eilish Rooney
Researcher
Eilish Rooney is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Sociology and Applied Social Studies at University of Ulster and a member of the Transitional Justice Institute (TJI). Her research focus is feminist intersectionality theory and women’s equality in post-conflict societies. Eilish is responsible for the development of toolkits associated with gender research projects, and contributes to research uptake and dissemination.
Theme: Gender
Sumit Bisarya
Sumit Bisarya is the Head of Constitution-Building Processes at International IDEA.
Bisarya develops global comparative knowledge, policy and advocacy resources and provides technical support to in-country constitution reform programs. Previously, he worked with the International Development Law Organization based in Rome, Italy where he was manager of IDLO’s field programmes. He designed, managed and implemented rule of law assistance programmes in Afghanistan and East/Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya and Somalia).
Bisarya has been engaged in constitution-building assistance programmes in a range of countries and contexts including Tunisia, Nepal, Myanmar, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and most recently in Chile and Ukraine.
