Elisabeth Jean Wood is a Professor of Political Science at Yale University and holds a concurrent professorship at the Santa Fe Institute. Her research focuses on political violence, particularly sexual violence during war, civil war dynamics, and social movements. She is renowned for her work on insurgent transitions in South Africa and El Salvador, as well as her analysis of variation in wartime sexual violence. Wood has authored influential books including Forging Democracy from Below (2000) and Insurgent Collective Action and Civil War in El Salvador (2003). Her recent work examines the Myanmar military's sexual violence against the Rohingya, emphasizing ideological motivations and institutional frameworks. Wood teaches courses on comparative politics, political violence, and qualitative research methods at Yale. She serves on editorial boards for Politics and Society , American Political Science Review , and the Contentious Politics series. Her research emphasizes ethical fieldwork practices and transparency in qualitative studies, addressing challenges in conflict zones. Her work bridges theoretical contributions with policy implications for understanding and preventing conflict-related atrocities.
Professor Jennifer M. Welsh is a leading scholar in global governance and security, holding the Canada 150 Research Chair at McGill University. She previously served as Professor at the European University Institute and the University of Oxford, where she co-founded the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. Her work focuses on humanitarian intervention, the 'Responsibility to Protect' (R2P), UN Security Council dynamics, and Canadian foreign policy. Welsh advised UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on R2P (2013–2016) and directed a five-year European Research Council project on 'The Individualisation of War.' Education : D.Phil. in International Relations, St. Antony's College, University of Oxford (Oxford, England) Masters and Doctorate from University of Oxford (Rhodes Scholar) BA, University of Saskatchewan (Canada) Research Interests : Welsh examines ethical and legal dimensions of armed conflict, atrocity prevention, and norms governing state sovereignty. Her work bridges theoretical analysis and policy implementation, with key contributions to R2P frameworks and non-state actor engagement in conflict zones. Recent publications explore localization in governance, Canada's geopolitical role, and civilian self-protection mechanisms. Key Awards : Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship Trudeau Fellowship Grants & Advising : Directed a €2.5M ERC-funded project (2014–2019) Advisory roles include Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Global Centre for R2P, and Auschwitz Institute Editorial boards: Global Responsibility to Protect , International Journal , and Ethics and International Affairs Labs/Teams : Directs McGill's Centre for International Peace and Security Studies (CIPSS), fostering interdisciplinary research on global security challenges.
Professor Rachel Kerr is a leading scholar in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, specializing in transitional justice, international criminal law, and the role of art in post-conflict reconciliation. She co-convenes the War Crimes Research Group and leads the Visual and Embodied Methodologies Network , focusing on intersectional gendered violence. Education: PhD and MA in War Studies from King’s College London; BA in International History and Politics from University of Leeds Research: Explores judicial intervention in the ICTY, Sierra Leone Court, and UK war crime allegations in Iraq; current work bridges art with peacebuilding in Bosnia, Canada, and South Africa Teaching: Courses on Conflict, Rights, and Justice; International Law and the Use of Force; War and Genocide Her AHRC-funded research project Art and Reconciliation: Conflict, Culture and Community (2016-2021) produced interdisciplinary insights into creative peacebuilding. She also leads ESRC research on visual methodologies for gendered violence studies. Awards: Elected to International Institute for Strategic Studies (2001) Elected to Royal Institute for International Affairs (2001) Recent publications analyze art’s role in Bosnian reconciliation, digital data in transitional justice, and Canada’s reconciliation processes. She supervises PhD research on topics spanning UK war crimes, post-conflict education, and atrocity prevention.
Dr. Natasha Kuhrt is a Senior Lecturer in International Peace and Security at King's College London's Department of War Studies, housed within the School of Security Studies. Her academic affiliations include membership in BISA, Chatham House, ISA, ASEN, and BASEES. She holds a PhD from UCL and has taught extensively on international law, intervention, and security studies. Her research focuses on Russian foreign policy in Asia, regionalism in Eurasia/Asia-Pacific, nationalism, and the Responsibility to Protect (R2P). Education: BA (Hons) in Russian & German from School of Slavonic and East European Studies (UoL), MA in Soviet Studies (SoSlavonic), PhD (UCL) on Russian policy toward China/Japan. Research interests span Russian security policy, international law applications in conflict zones, and the nexus between memory discourse and foreign policy. She co-leads the BISA Working Group on Russian & Eurasian Security and collaborates on ESRC UK-Japan projects on populism. Current book projects include co-authored volumes on Russian foreign policy and Russia-China relations. Her work appears in outlets like Journal of Global Faultlines , Asian Survey , and Australian Journal of Defence and Strategic Studies . She advises multiple PhD students and engages in public commentary via BBC, Al Jazeera, and academic conferences on Ukraine-Russia dynamics, China-Russia relations, and UN peacekeeping. Labs/Teams: Co-director of War Crimes Research Group and Centre for Grand Strategy, focusing on historical conflict analysis and strategic diplomacy.
Karen E. Smith is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), specializing in EU foreign policy, genocide prevention, and UN multilateralism. She currently leads the Women in Diplomacy project at LSE IDEAS and served as Head of the IR Department (2019-2022). Recent research examines feminist foreign policy analysis, emotional dimensions of EU decision-making, and group politics in UN diplomacy. Her award-winning book Group Politics in UN Multilateralism (2020) won the ACUNS best book prize. She has supervised 21 PhD students to completion, with alumni in academia, international organizations, and government. Current teaching includes the graduate course 'The EU in the World'. Education: PhD (LSE), MA (Johns Hopkins SAIS). Key Awards: ACUNS Book Award (2020), Anna Lindh Award (2007), Royal Society of Arts Fellowship (2016) Grants: EU-funded network on EU-UN relations (2016-2019)
Benjamin J. Appel is Associate Professor at UC San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, researching effectiveness of intergovernmental organizations and international law. Education includes Ph.D. in Government and Politics from University of Maryland (2012) and B.A. from Mercyhurst College. Research examines UN Security Council's role in conflict resolution, International Criminal Court's human rights impact, and state repression patterns. Authored work on crisis bargaining and compliance with humanitarian law. Recipient of NSF grants and teaches courses on international institutions, human rights, and conflict processes.
Professor Karen E. Smith is a leading scholar in European Union foreign policy studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She serves as a Professor in the Department of International Relations and directs the European Foreign Policy Unit. Her research focuses on EU foreign policy formulation, ethical foreign policy goals (human rights advocacy), genocide policy-making, and EU-UN relations. Notable contributions include work on feminist foreign policy frameworks, emotions in EU diplomacy, and mass atrocity prevention. She has held leadership roles including Head of the International Relations Department (2019–2022). Awards include the 2020 ACUNS Award for best UN-related book and Royal Society of Arts Fellowship (2016). Education: PhD in International Relations (LSE, 1996), MA from Johns Hopkins SAIS (1998), BA from Wellesley College (1987). Academic leadership includes co-editing the Palgrave Macmillan Global Foreign Policy Studies series and directing the LSE IDEAS Women in Diplomacy project. Recent projects analyze gender representation in diplomacy and EU responses to humanitarian crises. Teaching includes courses on EU global engagement and supervision of doctoral students in EU foreign policy areas. Key publications address EU-UN coalition politics, feminist policy impacts, and genocide designation strategies. Grants include EU-funded research networks on EU-UN relations (2012–2019) and contributions to the UN Prevention of Mass Atrocities Task Force (2012–2013). Her work bridges theoretical insights with policy-relevant analysis for global governance challenges.
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Zimmerer is a leading scholar in colonial and postcolonial history at the University of Hamburg 's Department of Global History. His work bridges the connections between colonialism, genocide, and modern mass violence, with a focus on German colonial history in Africa and its global implications. Professor of African History (2010–present) Former Reader at University of Sheffield (2007–2010) Co-founder of Sheffield Center for Genocide Studies Advisory roles at international genocide prevention institutions His research explores the intersection of colonial administration, racial violence, and cultural heritage. Key projects include: Investigating Hamburg's colonial past through monuments and urban spaces Decolonizing museum practices and historical narratives Developing the Colonial Sites app for public engagement Examining environmental violence as a form of genocide Zimmerer's recent publications analyze colonial memory in Germany, including the 2024 book From Windhoek to Auschwitz that traces ideological linkages between colonial and Nazi atrocities. He is actively involved in debates about renaming institutions with colonial legacies, recently advocating for the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine. His academic service includes co-editing the Journal of Genocide Research and leadership in the International Network of Genocide Scholars. Zimmerer's methodological approach combines archival research with digital humanities and public history initiatives.
Sean D. Murphy serves as the Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law at the George Washington University Law School, where he has been a faculty member since 1998. His distinguished career spans both academic scholarship and practical application of international law principles across numerous international forums. Professor Murphy's educational background includes a BA from Catholic University, JD from Columbia University, LLM from Cambridge University, and SJD from the University of Virginia. His professional experience includes significant government service as legal counselor at the U.S. Embassy in The Hague, where he argued cases before the International Court of Justice and represented the U.S. before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He also served as U.S. Agent to the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal and worked in the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Legal Adviser from 1987 to 1995. Professor Murphy's research focuses on public international law, U.S. foreign relations law, and crimes against humanity, with substantial contributions to the International Law Commission where he served as special rapporteur (2012-2022). His scholarly work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical applications, particularly in state responsibility, treaty law, and law of the sea. His publications demonstrate consistent engagement with evolving international legal norms and their implementation in domestic and international contexts. Professor Murphy's major scholarly contributions include his award-winning treatise The Law of U.S. Foreign Relations (2023) and his influential work Humanitarian Intervention: The United Nations in an Evolving World Order . His research trajectory shows increasing focus on codification efforts, particularly regarding crimes against humanity, reflecting his practical involvement in international legal development processes. 2024 American Branch of the International Law Association's Practitioners Book Award 2025 American Society of International Law (ASIL)'s Robert E. Dalton Book Prize 1997 ASIL Certificate for Preeminent Contribution to Creative Scholarship 1994 American Journal of International Law (AJIL)'s Deák Prize for Best Scholarship by a Younger Author Professor Murphy maintains an active international legal practice alongside his academic work, representing countries including Armenia, Ethiopia, Jordan, Kosovo, and the United States in international courts and tribunals. He has served as an arbitrator in inter-State and investor-State arbitrations and sat as an ad hoc judge on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. In 2024, he was appointed to the World Bank's ICSID List of Arbitrators. He currently serves as a U.N. expert for the negotiation of a Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Humanity and is an Adviser for the Restatement (Fourth) on the Foreign Relations Law of the United States. Professor Murphy has held leadership positions in major international law organizations, including serving as President of the American Society of International Law (2018-2020) and as a Membre Associé of L'Institut de Droit International. He serves on the American Journal of International Law Board of Editors and continues to teach courses on International Law, U.S. Foreign Relations Law, and Public International Law Seminar at GW Law.
Madhawa Palihapitiya is an academic professional affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Boston, where he serves as a Lecturer in the Conflict Resolution Program at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies. He also holds the role of Associate Director at the Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC), overseeing research, program evaluation, and fundraising for mediation initiatives. Education: MA in Conflict Resolution from Brandeis University BA from the University of Colombo Completed law courses at Sri Lanka Law College His work spans violent conflict prevention , mediation program design , and evaluative frameworks , with over 15 years of experience in both academic and practical conflict resolution domains. His research focuses on early warning systems , community-based mediation , and collaborative governance , often integrating data analysis and ICT for peacebuilding into his work. He has authored numerous publications on themes such as hate crime monitoring , housing stability through mediation , and court-connected ADR systems . His career bridges academic rigor with real-world applications in peacebuilding and public policy .
Dr. Eglantine Staunton is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of International Relations at the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs (Australian National University). She serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of Global Responsibility to Protect and holds an Honorary Research Fellowship at the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (University of Queensland). BA, MA (Sciences Po) MA, PhD (University of Queensland) Her research focuses on mass atrocity prevention, civilian protection, and France's foreign policy in the Asia Pacific and globally. She specializes in norm research, UN Security Council dynamics, Myanmar, Australia-France relations, and Indo-Pacific security. Recent publications examine the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) implementation challenges, AUKUS security dynamics, and norm diffusion processes. She has engaged with the European External Action Service and contributed to policy debates via institutions like the UN Office on Genocide Prevention. As a Research Fellow at the University of Leeds (2017-2019), she contributed to European R2P studies. Her 2019 book France, Humanitarian Intervention and the Responsibility to Protect reshaped understanding of France's foreign policy and norm interactions.
Ken MacLean is Professor of International Development and Social Change at Clark University , where he also holds faculty appointments at the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Center for Gender, Race, and Area Studies (CGRAS) . With more than two decades of experience working with NGOs across Southeast Asia, he investigates state-sponsored violence, forced migration, and the politics of humanitarian evidence. Education Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2005) M.S. in Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (2004) M.A. in Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (1998) B.A. in Anthropology, Princeton University (1990) Research Interests MacLean’s scholarship is interdisciplinary and archive-driven, interrogating how human-rights facts are produced, authenticated, and deployed. His work spans three major tracks: An ethnographic study of human-rights archives concerning alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Myanmar. Analysis of open-source intelligence and AI-generated evidence in international criminal proceedings. Future-oriented modeling of climate-induced displacement and large-scale violent conflict over essential resources. Publications & Impact MacLean is the author of three major monographs— The Government of Mistrust (2013), Crimes in Archival Form (2022, short-listed for the ICAS 2023 Best Book Prize), and Genocide by Attrition (2022)—along with dozens of peer-reviewed articles and policy reports. His recent work interrogates digital storytelling, satellite imagery, and AI-generated evidence in documenting ethnic cleansing and genocide. Awards & Fellowships ICAS 2023 Best Book Prize in the Social Sciences (short-list) Fulbright-Hays Program Fellowship Fulbright IIE Fellowship Wenner-Gren Foundation Grant Mellon Foundation Grant Jacob K. Javits Fellowship Grants & Visiting Positions Research support has come from the Fulbright-Hays Program, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and U.S. Department of Education, among others. He has held visiting fellowships at: Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (NIOD), Netherlands (Spring 2023) Mahidol University Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Thailand (Fall 2021) University of Kyoto Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Japan (Fall 2016) Labs, Teams & Future Work MacLean collaborates with interdisciplinary teams at the Strassler Center and CGRAS, and he is currently developing two new book projects: an ethnographic study of human-rights archives in Myanmar and an examination of Vietnamese amateur pundits shaping South China Sea territorial disputes. His ongoing research continues to explore the social lives of documents—both material and digital—and their material effects on justice and accountability.
Eyal Mayroz is a Senior Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies within the Discipline of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. His academic work bridges genocide studies, counter-terrorism expertise (as a retired Captain from Israel's Defense Forces), Middle East affairs, and computer programming. He is frequently sought by media outlets for commentary on responses to mass atrocity crimes and the Israel-Palestine conflict, with hundreds of media appearances documented through 2025. Mayroz's research centers on genocide and mass atrocity prevention, examining how public opinion and media coverage influence responses to these crimes. His work explores the psychological dynamics of fear, identification, and empathy in conflict situations, with regional expertise focused on Israel-Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. His publications reveal a consistent scholarly trajectory analyzing the interplay between policymakers, media narratives, and public sentiment in shaping international responses to genocide and mass atrocities. His scholarly impact is evidenced by his book Reluctant Interveners: America's Failed Responses to Genocide from Bosnia to Darfur (Rutgers University Press, 2020), which was selected by Choice magazine as an Outstanding Academic Title for 2020. His research demonstrates how institutional and psychological barriers prevent effective international intervention in genocide situations. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching Excellence Award (2019) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Teaching Excellence Award (2023) Six consecutive Dean's Commendations for Excellence in Teaching (2018-2021) Choice magazine Outstanding Academic Title for 2020 As an academic advisor, Mayroz supervises research on international responses to conflict and atrocity, including current work examining Indonesian public opinion on the Ukraine and Gaza crises. His professional activities extend to membership in the Genocide Prevention Advisory Network, an international expert group advising governments on genocide prevention. His extensive media commentary demonstrates his commitment to translating academic insights into public discourse on pressing global conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Roland Kostić serves as Senior Lecturer in Holocaust and Genocide Studies and Associate Professor in Peace and Conflict Research at the Uppsala Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Department of History, Uppsala University, Sweden. He is the Director of the Centre, where he teaches and supervises master's level students. His research focuses on: Transitional justice and reconciliation after mass violence and genocide Knowledge production during mass violence and in peacebuilding interventions How formal and informal networks shape intervention knowledge Social psychology, group attitudes, and memory in post-conflict settings Kostić's scholarly work examines the complex relationship between knowledge production, intervention strategies, and social memory in post-conflict societies. His research methodology combines qualitative fieldwork with interdisciplinary theoretical approaches, particularly analyzing how top-down versus bottom-up approaches to transitional justice impact local communities. He has conducted comparative studies across Sierra Leone, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Timor Leste, investigating how victims and perpetrators coexist after mass atrocities. His publications reveal a strong focus on peacebuilding, transitional justice, and social memory, particularly concerning the Balkan region. Kostić frequently analyzes the role of transnational actors, think tanks, and informal networks in shaping post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation processes. His work bridges multiple disciplines including political science, sociology, history, and psychology. At Uppsala University, Kostić supervises master's level students and teaches specialized courses including Genocide and Mass Violence II, Political Psychology of Mass Violence, Transitional Justice: Retribution, Restoration, Coexistence, Methods in Comparative Genocide Studies, and the Master's Thesis course. He has published in journals such as Civil Wars, Third World Quarterly, and Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, and has edited two book volumes while contributing numerous chapters to edited collections. The Uppsala Centre for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, which Kostić directs, functions as a multidisciplinary research hub examining genocide, mass violence, and their aftermath through historical, sociological, and psychological lenses. The Centre's work addresses contemporary challenges in understanding and preventing mass atrocities while exploring pathways to reconciliation and justice.
Jennifer Welsh is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security at McGill University and Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy . Previously, she held professorial roles at the European University Institute and University of Oxford , where she co-founded the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict . She served as the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect (2013-2016). BA, University of Saskatchewan MA, University of Oxford DPhil, University of Oxford Her research focuses on global governance , security studies , and Canadian foreign policy , with a specialization in the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) framework, humanitarian intervention ethics, and UN reform. She leads the Centre for International Peace and Security Studies (CIPSS) and co-hosts the Tour de Table podcast, analyzing Canada's role in global challenges. Her recent publications address UN peace operations , localization in global politics , and Western donor sensitivities . Notable awards include the Trudeau Fellowship , Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship , and leadership of a five-year ERC-funded project on war individualization.
