Adrian Gallagher

Dr Adrian Gallagher is a Professor in Global Security and Mass Atrocity Prevention at the University of Leeds, within the School of Politics and International Studies. His research focuses on the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), mass atrocity prevention, genocide studies, and Constructivist International Relations theory. He co-founded the European Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (ECR2P) and serves as Editor of the Global Responsibility to Protect journal.

He holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield (2010), alongside MA and BA degrees from Kingston University. His work bridges IR theory, security studies, and genocide research, with recent projects examining non-state armed groups and mass atrocities in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. He has secured £500k in ESRC funding for collaborative research and advised UK parliamentary committees on atrocity prevention.

Teaching awards include the Inspirational Teaching Award (2016) and Best Feedback Award (2017), reflecting his commitment to research-led education. He supervises PhD students on R2P and IR theory, having guided thirteen candidates (six completed). His research impact contributed to Leeds’ REF 2021 submission through the ECR2P’s case study.

Current projects include a monograph on mass atrocity prevention in the Central African Republic and investigations into R2P’s evolving role in global security. He collaborates widely, sitting on editorial boards and international advisory committees.