We are pleased to announce that our Secretary General, Dan Smith, has been offered a professorship at the University of Manchester's Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute [2] (HCRI).
Dan will be joining HCRI as Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies in January 2014, while continuing in his role as Secretary General at International Alert. He will be teaching on the university's MA in Peacebuilding.
"I feel very honoured by this, of course," Dan said, "but the most important thing about it is the partnership we are going to build with HCRI, linking research and action for peacebuilding, so we are better able to contribute to people's wellbeing. Knowledge, analysis and understanding are a big part of our work and this will make them even stronger."
HCRI's aim is to "facilitate improvements in crisis response on a global scale whilst providing a centre of excellence for all concerned with emergencies and conflicts".
Welcoming Dan to Manchester University, Keith Brown, Vice President and Dean of Humanities, described Dan's new professorship as "part of our strategy of appointing high profile public and policy figures to work alongside our academics and with our students".
And James Thompson, Executive Director of HCRI, said, "Dan will contribute to MA teaching as well as research planning and design, bringing his lengthy experience of peacebuilding policy and practice to HCRI. HCRI and International Alert will be developing a range of innovative projects as part of their new relationship."
In January Dan gave a seminar as part of the institute's 2012/13 speaker series, in which he looked at the flaws in the common understanding of peacebuilding which is often held by international donors.
We look forward to developing an exciting and productive relationship with the University of Manchester.