Scholar / Photographer / Writer

Research Focus

My research combines an action-research methodology called photovoice, with narrative and ethnographic methods to explore women’s postwar experiences of political subjectivity and their visions for positive social change. Using photography as a resource for self-representation, but also as a tool to communicate with and engage individuals and communities in a process of reflection and meaning making, my work endeavors to create both physical and discursive spaces in which the voices and perspectives of women affected by conflict can be elevated into the public sphere. The overall goal of my research is to extend the field’s understanding of how to meaningfully engage women in conflict transformation processes, paying special attention to ongoing barriers to women’s political participation and sites of agency they identify within the postwar context. My doctoral work with Bosnian women explored how international policy and programming that seeks to be helpful to women in post-conflict settings could be redesigned to better support women in these spaces.

Professional Experience

I hold a PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Carter School, as well as a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Human Rights and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Arizona State University.  I am currently the Research and Policy Director at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. I have worked for the International Rescue Committee, Catholic Charities, the United Nations, USAID and Oxfam GB. Before joining Georgetown, I was the Program Manager for Everyday Peace Indicators and serve as an adjunct professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, where I teach a course on Feminist Approaches to Research.