Dr Juweria Ali, Early Career Researcher (ECR) and Fellow at Westminster’s Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), has been awarded an Official Development Assistance (ODA) Global Innovation Fellowship from the British Academy for her project on gender and peacemaking in the Somali Region of Ethiopia.
The British Academy’s ODA Global Innovation Fellowships provide early and mid-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences with the opportunity to develop their skills, networks and careers while addressing challenges that require innovative approaches and solutions. The fellowship will run in collaboration with Conciliation Resources, an international organisation committed to stopping violent conflict and creating more peaceful societies, to expand Dr Ali’s networks and encourage impactful research and knowledge exchange.
Dr Ali received the award for her research project titled Gender, Armed Conflict and Peacemaking in the Somali Region, Ethiopia, following a competitive UK-wide two-stage selection process. Her research will focus on the integration of female ex-combatants and survivors into post-conflict peacebuilding processes, reflecting the University’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), particularly 5: Gender Equality and 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
After completing her PhD in Politics at Westminster’s Graduate School, Dr Ali joined the CSD as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2024 under the mentorship of Professor Nitasha Kaul, Professor of Politics, International Relations and Critical Interdisciplinary Studies and CSD Director.
About the fellowship Dr Ali said: “I am thrilled to receive the British Academy's ODA Global Innovation Fellowship aimed at creating new links across policy and academia. Addressing a crucial gap in academic literature, my project explores how ex-combatants can serve as agents of sustainable peace in fragile political and security contexts. Beyond its focus on the Somali Region, this research contributes to broader gender perspectives on war-to-peace transitions. It also presents a key opportunity for policy advocacy and collaboration with peacebuilding partners committed to fostering inclusive, gender-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding in Ethiopia and beyond.”
Dr Ali’s postdoctoral mentor Professor Kaul said: “It has been a pleasure to support and encourage Juweria in my role as her postdoctoral mentor for the Westminster Fellowship. I am absolutely delighted and proud to see her win the very competitive British Academy Innovation Fellowship for her work on gender and peacebuilding in conflict, which will add to our strengths at the CSD. At Westminster, we encourage early career researchers to aim high, win big and make a difference. Juweria's work ties to our Centre's focus on promoting impactful research that tackles global challenges and furthers our institutional commitment to SDGs.”
Find out more about the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster.
Related articles
