Queen’s University Belfast Appoints Three New Members to the Mitchell Institute
Professor Marsha Henry has been appointed to the Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton Chair in Women, Peace, Security and Justice; Professor Kieran McEvoy has been appointed to the Senator George J. Mitchell Chair in Peace, Security and Justice; and Professor Louise Mallinder has been appointed Deputy Director of the Mitchell Institute.
Queen’s Chancellor, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton commented: “I congratulate Professors Henry, McEvoy and Mallinder on their appointments. The University and the Institute’s commitment to advancing these critical areas of study is a testament to the enduring pursuit of a more inclusive and secure world.”
Senator George J. Mitchell added: “Through interdisciplinary research, education and civic engagement, the Institute aims to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people, both locally and globally, who are dealing with the aftermath of conflict by empowering them to realise fairness, justice, and tolerance. I know these three outstanding academics will be a great attribute to the Institute and I wish them the best in their new roles.”
Welcoming these transformative appointments, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Ian Greer said: “I am delighted that we have appointed three exceptional scholars and colleagues to these key roles based in the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute. These new Chairs will support the Institute’s vital work in understanding and addressing some of the most pressing global challenges related to peace, security, and justice.”
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Nola Hewitt-Dundas commented: “These three new Chairs are a great opportunity to be part of and build on the excellent work done since the Institute’s establishment in 2016. I warmly congratulate my esteemed colleagues on their appointments and look forward to working with them in the future.”
Mitchell Institute Director Professor Richard English welcomed the new appointments: “The research, education and societally-engaged work of the Mitchell Institute will be transformed by these important new Chairs. I look forward to working with Professors Mallinder, McEvoy and Henry as the contributions of the Institute within and beyond Queen’s continue to flourish and grow.”
Professor Marsha Henry’s research is concerned with the gendered and racialised politics of violence; militarisation; global south development; international aid and intervention; and conflict, peace, and security. She is the author of several books, the latest of which is: The End of Peacekeeping: Gender, Race, and the Martial Politics of Intervention (University of Pennsylvania Press). Professor Henry, who will join Queen’s from the LSE in January, has also advised a number of national governments on women’s participation in the armed forces, combatting sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian settings, and developing anti-racist and diversity strategies in foreign policy ministries.
Professor Kieran McEvoy has conducted research in over a dozen conflicted or transitional countries on topics including truth recovery, amnesties, apologies, victims, ex-combatants, restorative justice, and lawyers. He has authored or co-authored four books, co-edited eight books or special issues and over seventy journal articles and book chapters. He has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on 10 UKRI-funded projects and is currently a Leverhulme Major Research Fellow (2023-26). He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Professor Louise Mallinder’s research centres on the intersections of law and peace at the international level and in post-conflict societies. She has an internationally recognised expertise on amnesties and transitional justice. Professor Mallinder is currently writing a monograph entitled Amnesties, International Crimes and Armed Conflict and is co-editing the Elgar Encyclopedia of Law and Peace. Her research has informed her public engagement work on legacy in Northern Ireland and she has also engaged in research and consultancies in other transitional societies.
Established in 2016, The Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice is a flagship for interdisciplinary research in areas of major societal change. It brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines to tackle some of the greatest global problems of our age.