Sara McDowell

Dr. Sara McDowell is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences at Ulster University (Coleraine Campus), where she serves as Course Director for the BSc Geography programme. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and LFHE Aurora alumna, she specializes in Political Geography with teaching focused on research methods and human geography concepts.

Her research examines conflict and peacebuilding in divided societies through two interconnected strands:

• Memory/heritage negotiations in contested spaces (e.g., Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka)
• Social media's influence on border politics

This work has secured funding from ESRC, AHRC, NERC, and British Academy/Leverhulme Trust.

Recent publications analyze post-Brexit instability, youth citizenship, and ethical approaches to Northern Ireland's legacy issues, employing methodologies from spatial analysis to participatory filmmaking.

Awards & Recognition:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of AHRC Peer Review College
• Academic Friend of the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO)

She maintains active collaborations with government agencies (NISIB, Flanders) to translate research into peacebuilding praxis.