Laura Payne is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University. She has particular expertise in working with people from non-academic and non-expert backgrounds operating on the front lines of conflict in their communities, including extensive experience collaborating with local civil society groups in Africa and Asia.
She is also the director of RISING Global Peace Forum, a new high-level platform where great minds to inform and inspire to promote a more peaceful world. Her work curating RISING brings state-of-the-art research and innovative ideas to policymakers, activists and the media.
Laura’s own research focuses on the contributions that faith groups can make in efforts to prevent violent conflict, particularly in the evolving area of faith-based conflict prevention. Her field experience includes applied research in Turkey, Israel and Palestine, and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Laura holds an MA in Conflict Studies & Human Rights from the University of Utrecht in The Netherlands.