Peace News Expert Network

Catherine Vanner is an Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at the University of Windsor. Her research uses qualitative and participatory methods to examine the relationship between gender, violence, and education in North American and Sub-Saharan African contexts. Her current research analyzes teacher and student experiences on education about gender-based violence in Canada and is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. She has worked as Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University and as Education Advisor for Plan International Canada and the Canadian International Development Agency (now Global Affairs Canada). She holds a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Ottawa and a M.A. in International Affairs from Carleton University.

Cecile Pentori is the South Asia Program Coordinator for Conciliation Resources. She has worked with UNDP, UNIFEM and holds a Master degree in IR.

Cedric de Coningis a Research Professor with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) where he co-directs the Center on UN and Global Governance, and he is a senior advisor and chief editor for the African Center for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD). He holds a PhD from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Stellenbosch (2012). He has served in a number of advisory capacities for the African Union and United Nations, including on the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board for the Peacebuilding Fund. He has co-edited 10 books, of which the most recent is ‘Adaptive Mediation and Conflict Resolution: Peace-making in Colombia, Mozambique, the Philippines, and Syria’ (Palgrave MacMillan, 2022). He tweets at @CedricdeConing.

Cerue Konah Garlo is a feminist. She is a hands-on peacebuilding activist and civil society leader. She has extensive experience in designing, delivering, and evaluating capacity-building programs with a focus on women’s rights, community mobilization, and citizen participation.  She has played a significant role in ensuring that women’s voices are heard, and their capacity developed to address post-conflict activities concerning women survivors. She has worked with women to prepare them for political participation through leadership training. Ms. Garlo recently retired from active work after serving as Senior Gender Specialist at the Carter Center Rule of Law Liberia Program. Ms. Garlo provided technical assistance and support to government, civil society, and women’s groups to ensure the implementation and enforcement of the freedom of information law is gender responsive and inclusive. Ms. Garlo has facilitated dozens of SGBV training for local and national government, civil society leaders, traditional and youth leaders.

Chas Morrison is Assistant Professor for Research at the Institute for Peace and Security, Coventry University. His main research interests are around the social dynamics in crisis-affected environments, covering civil society and community actions, civilian protection and conflict legacies. He also researches participation, inclusion and leadership in post-disaster reconstruction. Before joining Coventry University, he worked for several years for humanitarian NGOs in East Africa and South Asia community reconstruction programmes after civil conflict and disaster.

Christantus Begealawuhis an expert in African Peace and Security and a consultant at Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASDEV). He is a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Christian Cito Cirhigiri is a peace journalist from the Democratic Republic of Congo and founder of the Peacemaker 360 campaign

Christine Andrä is an assistant professor of International Relations at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. She was a postdoctoral researcher during the first phase of the (Un-)Stitching Gazes / (Des)tejiendo Miradas project. For further information, see: https://www.rug.nl/staff/c.i.andra/

Crispin Hemson is an academic, formerly Head of the School of Education at the University of Natal and then Director of the International Centre of Nonviolence at Durban University of Technology. His main focus has been on pedagogies for peace, and his doctoral study addressed ways of teacher education that build peace in a context of violence. He is also an environmental activist who works to protect an urban nature reserve.

Dr. Crystena Parker-Shandal is an Associate Professor in Social Development Studies at Renison
University College at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Parker-Shandal’s research expertise is in
curriculum and pedagogy, restorative justice in education, conflict resolution, inclusion,
antiracism, peacebuilding, and dialogue in diverse global communities. She examines issues such
as how peacebuilding education and conflict dialogue processes could work to foster a sense of
inclusion for marginalized children and youth and how such practices, in their successful
implementation, can challenge young people to engage in authentic dialogue and conflict
learning. She is the author of Restorative Justice in the Classroom: Liberating Students’ Voices
through Relational Pedagogy (2022) and Peacebuilding, Citizenship, and Identity: Empowering
Conflict and Dialogue in Multicultural Classrooms (2016). She is co-editor of Finding Refuge in
Canada: Narratives of Dislocation (2021) and editor of First-Gen Docs: Personal, Political, and
Intellectual Perspectives From the First-Generation Doctoral Experience (2024). For more
about her work, visit: https://www.drparkershandal.com

Dan served in the Peace Corps in El Salvador from 1974 to 1977 and was a member of the team that planned and launched El Salvador’s first national park. After the Peace Corps Dan worked on a series of USAID projects and for the U.S. State Department as a knowledge management specialist and assisted in the planning of information centers in Kenya, Ghana, Thailand, Nicaragua and other countries.

Dr. Daniel Rothbart is professor at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University.  He specializes in ethnic conflicts, power and conflict, and the psycho-politics of conflict.  He is co-director of the Program on Prevention of Mass Violence and director of the Laboratory entitled Transforming the Mind for Peace. 

Daria Larionov is a Moldovan practitioner working with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders,
focusing on youth, peace and security and women, peace and security in Eastern Europe and the South
Caucasus. Her work centers on supporting local civil society organizations, strengthening youth
participation in peace processes and integrating grassroots perspectives into policy and programming. She
has experience in research, program design and monitoring, evaluation and learning, and has contributed to
regional and international initiatives on peacebuilding and social cohesion.

Dr. Lehrer holds a PhD from the Geography and Environmental Development Department of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a joint Masters Degree in Management Science from Boston University and Ben-Gurion University. Dr. Lehrer is the Director of the Center for Applied Environmental Diplomacy at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies.  Dr. Lehrer has been a member of Kibbutz Ketura since 1981.

Dr David Mitchell is Associate Professor, Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation, at Trinity College Dublin at Belfast. He is co-ordinator of the MPhil in Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation and Head of Discipline of Peace Studies. His research interests are in peacebuilding and reconciliation, Northern Ireland politics, and the comparative meaning of the Irish peacemaking experience. He has published research in leading journals including Co-operation and Conflict, Government and Opposition, Sociology, Third World Quarterly, and Peacebuilding. He is co-author (with Dong Jin Kim and Gillian Wylie) of Peace and Conflict in a Changing World (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024), co-editor (with Dong Jin Kim) of Reconciling Divided States: Peace Processes in Ireland and Korea (Routledge, 2022), and author of Politics and Peace in Northern Ireland (Manchester, 2015).

Delphin Ntanyoma is a visiting researcher at the School of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Leeds. He is interested in microlevel violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), genocide, minorities, and social media.

Denisa Kostovicova is Professor of Global Politics at the European Institute and the Lead ofthe LSEE Research on South Eastern Europe at the Hellenic Observatory, bothat the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). She is a scholar of conflict and peace processes with a particular interest in post-conflict reconstruction and transitional justice. Professor Kostovicova is the author of Reconciliation by Stealth: How People Talk about War Crimes (Cornell University Press, 2023) and Kosovo: The Politics of Identity and Space (Routledge, 2005). She is co-editor of 8 volumes on reconciliation and transitional justice, post-conflict reconstruction and state-building, and transnationalism.Professor Kostovicova’s research has been funded by a number of prestigious grants, including those by the Leverhulme Trust, MacArthur Foundation and Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), among others.Her work has been published in leading academic journals includingAmerican Political Science Review, International Studies Quarterly, Review of International Studies,Security Dialogue, and others. ProfessorKostovicova currently directs a major research programme funded by the European Research Council, titled ‘Justice Interactions and Peace-building (JUSTINT).’ She has authored a number of policy papers on issues concerning Western Balkans’ European integration, post-conflict recovery and regional security. Her academic research and policy contributions have informed policy making at the EU, UN, and in the UK.

Dr Denise Bentrovato is originally from Italy and studied foreign languages, African studies, international relations, conflict resolution, and international and political history in the Netherlands, Denmark and the United Kingdom. In 2013, she completed her PhD at the Research Institute for History and Culture at the University of Utrecht, with a thesis investigating the politics of history, identity and education in Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Throughout her career, she has worked in academia and for government institutions, international organisations and NGOs in Europe and Africa in the fields of peacebuilding and post-war educational reform, including UNESCO, the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) and the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research (GEI).

Her academic work combines an interest in memory politics, transitional justice and history education in Africa, and covers questions surrounding the politics and practice of history curriculum and textbook revision and the teaching and learning of sensitive and controversial histories of abuse, conflict, mass violence and genocide in post-colonial and post-war societies.

Dr. Dipankar Datta is currently the Country Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council in Bangladesh. Between September 2021 and July 2025, he served as the Country Director of Norwegian Church Aid in Somalia. The article draws on his experiential learning and references his academic paper titled “Building futures in fragility: vocational education as a pathway to empower Somali youth and communities,” published in the International Journal of Training Research (DOI: 10.1080/14480220.2025.2582383). The opinions expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the author's current or former employers or any of their country programmes and partnerships.  LinkedIn Profile.

Dizline Mfanozelwe Shozi is the Deputy Director of the Community Engagement and Development Directorate at the Mangosuthu University of Technology, as well as a former lecturer and project Manager for Durban University of Technology’s Imbali Education and Innovation Precinct. He was the chairperson of the South African Commission for Gender Equality. He is currently a Sonke Gender Justice board member and deputy chairperson, and Chairperson of the Valley Trust Board. He holds a PhD in Peace Studies from his studies at the International Centre of Nonviolence, Durban University of Technology.

Dr Maurice Besengis a Visiting Research Fellow at the Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations (CTPSR), Coventry University. His research focuses on issues of conflict, security, and development in Cameroon

Dr. Nancy Annan is an Assistant Professor in Peace, Conflict and Global Development at the Centre for Trust, Peace, and Social Relations (CTPSR), Coventry University.

Duanghathai Buranajaroenkij is an assistant professor at the Gender and Development Studies (GDS) program at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT).

Dr. Dumisani Ngwenya is the Founder and Executive Director of Grace To Heal, a faith-based organisation committed to peacebuilding, community healing, and peace education. For over two decades, he has accompanied communities affected by organised violence, guiding them on pathways toward restoration and sustainable peace.

In addition to his leadership role, Dr. Ngwenya serves as Course Director for the Master’s in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies, a programme offered by Grace To Heal in partnership with the Catholic University of Zimbabwe. He is also a Senior Lecturer in Peace and Security Studies at Lupane State University.

Dr. Ngwenya holds a PhD in Peacebuilding from the Durban University of Technology and a Master’s degree in Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. His research has been featured in international journals and edited volumes, and he has presented at global conferences on themes such as historical trauma and the intergenerational transmission of trauma. He can be contacted atngwenyad@gracetoheal.org.

Elizabeth (Liz) Hume is the Senior Director for Programs and Strategy at the Alliance for Peacebuilding.

Elmer R. Verallo, Jr., MAT was born on December 13, 1995, in Sambag Dakit, Bogo City,
Cebu. He earned his Bachelor of Secondary Education major in Mathematics at Sultan Kudarat
State University – ACCESS Campus, under the Department of Science and Technology JLSS.
He further pursued his Master of Arts in Teaching Mathematics at Sultan Kudarat State
University – Graduate School and is currently undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy in Institutional
Development and Management, majoring in Public Management.

Mr. Verallo serves as a Teacher III at Baluan National High School, Department of Education,
Division of Sultan Kudarat, teaching both Junior and Senior High School Mathematics and
Research subjects. He actively engages in academic research, presenting his studies at
international conferences and publishing in international journals. Notably, he received the Best
Abstract Award in Education at the 11th International Conference on Multidisciplinary
Research (11th ICMR 2023) organized by the Philippine Association of Institutions for
Research.

Beyond teaching, he has held several administrative roles, including Mathematics and Science
Department Head, Sports Coordinator, Testing Coordinator, and is a certified Career Guidance
Advocate. His professional journey reflects a strong commitment to academic excellence,
research, and holistic student development.

Emmanuel Iyako is an African scholar, a security and political analyst with extensive regional and multidimensional experience in UN Peace Support operations. He is a Research/Teaching assistant and Doctoral student in the political science department at Kent State University, USA. He holds a Master of Arts in Security Studies, a Master of Arts in International Relations, and a Bachelor of Laws. His career spans from being a university instructor for over two decades, having worked as a security analyst with a focus on crime trends, security dynamics, historical political events, and investigations reports, human security strategy, and security operations planning. He has experience managing training exercises, reporting, inspections of standards, and contingency planning. He is a regional trainer and program facilitator in regional trainings in the East African Community, especially East African Standby Force UN/AU compliance framework.   LinkedIn: Emmanuel Iyako

Erica S. Lawsonis an Associate Professor in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Western Ontario. Her teaching and research interests intersect with motherhood studies, maternal grief, critical race studies, black feminist studies, and feminist-informed peacebuilding interventions. With a focus on women’s mass mobilization to end the Liberian civil war (1989-2003), Erica Lawson’s research examines the role of gender construction in war, post-conflict recovery, and women’s multi-pronged activism to build a culture of peace and gender equity. She currently serves as the Project Director for “Commemorating the Experiences of Liberian Women Survivors of Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV.” This is a SSHRC-funded, three-year (2024-2027) Partnership Development Grant (PDG) in collaboration with Liberian partners to document the experiences of women survivors of CRSV and how they envision memorialization towards collective healing

Eugenie Rose Fontepis an Economist passionate for peacebuilding. Her work interests aim to link issues of peacebuilding, conflict, fragility, and violence to development factors, including, labor market, education, and health outcomes among others. She conducts and has conducted severalresearchprojects on war survivors, refugees, internally displaced persons and the stateless community inCameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo,Kenya, Niger,Nigeria, andSierra Leoneamong others. She also contributes to the peace making process by participating in international peacebuilding related debates. The recent ones includeWIDER Development Conference: The puzzle of peace – towards inclusive development in fragile contextsor theUnited Nations Future Forum on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). She holds a PhD in economics.

I am a researcher in the Climate Change and Risk programme at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). My research focuses on understanding what the relationship between climate change and violence looks like in different settings, and how interventions to address the effects of climate change can be used to build peace. I mainly focus on the connections between climate change, food security, and conflict, and on climate adaptation and peacebuilding.