Dawn Walsh

Dr Walsh is currently an Irish Research Council-Marie Curie Elevate post-doctoral fellow. This fellowship will involve carrying out research at the University of Birmingham with Prof Stefan Wolff and at DCU with Dr John Doyle. This research examines the use of complex power-sharing institutions in post-conflict societies including Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Macedonia, Moldova and Burundi. Her research interests also include a wide range of conflict resolutions and post-conflict issues including the creation of innovative institutions to manage conflict, the implementation of peace agreements and the development of political parties in a post-conflict environment.

Dawn Walsh defended her thesis in Politics and International Relations at Dublin City University in April 2014 (external examiner Prof Brendan O’Leary). She is a graduate of Political Science from Trinity College Dublin (2007). She also has a M.Phil in International Peace Studies (Distinction) from Trinity College. Dawn was awarded a certificate in International Peacemaking from United Nations Institute for Training and Research in 2008. After a short break from academia which involved periods working in the Houses of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) and doing voluntary work in Tanzania she joined the DCU doctoral programme.

She conducted her PhD research at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University examining the use of independent commissions in the Northern Ireland peace process. This project used mediation theory to understand the work of these commissions and their role in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. She was the recipient of the competitive Paddy Moriarty Memorial Fellowship, for the academic year 2010-11. This two year fellowship is awarded following an internal competition in DCU. Dawn was also an Irish Research Council Postgraduate Scholar 2012/2014.