Susanne Schmeidl

Susanne Schmeidl (Fulbright Scholar and PhD in Political Sociology) is an honorary academic at the University of NSW, independent researcher and sits on the boards of Peacifica and the Research for Development Impact (RDI) Network. A transdisciplinary critical peace scholar-practitioner, she has over two decades of experience working at the intersection of conflict, peace and development across several sectors: university, think tanks, non-governmental organisations and the United Nations.  Her scholarship has focused on generating new insights and critical interventions through conceptual and methodological developments in three intersecting areas: mapping the drivers of conflict and forced migration for the purpose of early warning & prevention; inclusive and locally led peace formation; and conflict-sensitive development practice, with strong geographic expertise on Afghanistan, where she worked for over a decade, and cross-cutting focus on gender and intersectionality.   

Her current research interests are on alternative approaches to mapping drivers of conflict and peace, forging more inclusive peace processes, community coping mechanisms in conflict-affected spaces and the role of memory and dealing with the past in peace formation.