ALI FOOTE

Researcher, Peace Research and Education Program (PREP)

RESEARCH & FOCUS AREAS: Peacebuilding practice and research, with a focus on Iraq and other violence-affected contexts. Areas of expertise include university-based and community-centered approaches to peacebuilding, conflict analysis and assessment, and the integration of development and peacebuilding strategies.

CURRENT WORK:

• Currently based in Nairobi, Kenya, Ali works as a Program Associate on the Africa Program Development team at Search for Common Ground. Her work centers on developing inclusive peacebuilding programs in West Africa, particularly the Lake Chad Basin (Cameroon, Chad, and Nigeria).

BACKGROUND
Ali’s research and fieldwork experience spans Colombia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

In Colombia, she collaborated with local peacebuilding organizations, conducting participatory action research with human rights defenders. This involved facilitating focus groups and interviews with youth, LGBTQ+, and female social leaders.

During her time at the African Youth Initiative Network (AYINET) in Uganda, she developed a training manual focused on managing the psychosocial care of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict.

As a consultant with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, Ali contributed to original research on women’s meaningful political participation in post-conflict South Sudan.

EDUCATION:
M.S., Global Affairs, New York University
B.S., Biology & Society, Cornell University