Dr. Lisa Schirch is Professor of the Practice of Peace Studies and holder of the Richard G. Starmann, Sr. Chair in Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, a position she has held since 2022. She is a leading scholar-practitioner in peace and conflict studies, with more than three decades of work bridging rigorous academic research with hands-on policy engagement — spanning peacebuilding strategy design, civil-military relations, human security, nonviolent action, and, more recently, the intersection of technology, social media, and peacebuilding.
Before joining Notre Dame, Professor Schirch spent twenty-five years (1995–2020) as Professor of Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding, where she helped train a generation of peacebuilding practitioners. She has also held senior leadership positions beyond the classroom: she was the founding Director of the Alliance for Peacebuilding’s Policy Program (2006–2015) and later directed the organization’s 3P Human Security program; she currently serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Toda Peace Institute, where she leads its Social Media, Technology and Peacebuilding programme; and she co-chaired a U.S. State Department working group on Religious Actors, Diplomacy, and Peacebuilding (2015–2016). She is also a founding member of the Council on Technology and Social Cohesion. Her research and advisory work have informed governments, the United Nations, and international organizations on conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilization, including on Afghanistan, where she has addressed civil society–military relations, human security, and comprehensive approaches to peace processes.
Professor Schirch holds a PhD and an MS in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University, and a BA in International Relations and Political Science, with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies, from Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo. She has authored and co-authored numerous influential books, training manuals, and policy reports — including Designing a Comprehensive Peace Process for Afghanistan (U.S. Institute of Peace) and Civilian Peacekeeping (Life & Peace Institute) — alongside action guides on nonviolent action and rehabilitation developed with the U.S. Institute of Peace, and writing that has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, edited volumes, and policy platforms such as the Toda Peace Institute, the Berghof Foundation, and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC).
Recent Publications:
“Toward Prosocial Design Governance.” Tech Policy Press, December 2023.
Link: https://www.techpolicy.press/toward-prosocial-tech-design-governance/
Women in Peacebuilding Training Manual. Rockingham, VA: Eastern Mennonite University. (2006 edition posted online) Link: Full PDF