Will Plowright

Dr Will Plowright is an Assistant Professor of International Security at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs. He joined Durham as a Lecturer in Peace & Conflict Studies in January 2022 and was promoted to Assistant Professor in International Security in June of the same year.

His educational background includes a PhD in Political Science from the University of British Columbia (2018) and a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Amsterdam (2021). Prior to his academic career, he spent approximately 10 years working with Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières in various conflict zones including Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, DRC, and CAR.

Dr Plowright's research spans two primary areas: non-state armed groups in armed conflict and NGOs/the politics of humanitarian assistance. His work examines why some armed groups follow international humanitarian law norms while others do not, with particular focus on child soldiers. He also investigates the political dimensions of humanitarian assistance, including obstruction of aid in migration contexts. His research methodology often involves extensive fieldwork among armed groups and humanitarian actors in conflict zones.

His publications include two major academic books: 'Armed Groups and International Legitimacy: Child Soldiers in Intrastate Conflict' (Routledge, 2021) and 'The War on Rescue: The Obstruction of Humanitarian Assistance in the European Migration Crisis' (Cornell University Press, 2024), along with numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His recent work shows a trend toward examining the intersection of humanitarian principles with contemporary geopolitical challenges, particularly in migration contexts and in relation to non-state armed groups.

Dr Plowright maintains an active public engagement through blogs in outlets such as The Conversation and Small Wars Journal, where he connects academic research to current events including the Ukraine war and decolonial perspectives on humanitarianism.

His professional experience combines academic rigor with practical field experience, having worked in operational management of humanitarian interventions responding to armed conflict, mass displacement, detention situations, and disease outbreaks including cholera, ebolavirus, and COVID-19.