Shirley Graham

Dr. Shirley Graham is an Associate Professor of Practice in International Affairs at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, where she also directs the Gender Equality Initiative in International Affairs (GEIA) and oversees the Global Gender Policy Graduate Certificate program. She holds a PhD from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (2013), focusing on gender discourses in Irish peacekeeping, and an MA in International Relations from Dublin City University (2004).

Her research focuses on gender and international peacekeeping, feminist foreign policy frameworks, and gender-based violence mitigation strategies. Currently on sabbatical, she is writing a book on gender and trauma. She has advised multiple governments and civil society organizations, including Ireland’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace & Security, and co-founded the DC Student Consortium on Women, Peace & Security.

Key awards include the Government of Ireland Doctoral Scholarship. She teaches courses like Global Gender Policy and Gender, War & Peace, and her work bridges academia with policy initiatives such as the GW Reproductive Freedom seminar series analyzing the Roe v. Wade overturning’s implications.