Bio

I work at the intersection of human security, reintegration, and climate change, serving as the Founder and President of the Corioli Institute, a "think and do tank" focused on reintegration and violence prevention. I am also a Professor of Practice at the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Previously, I was a UK Research and Innovation Future Leaders Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and the recipient of the prestigious   

£1.2 million UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship. I have provided expert consultation for organizations such as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) | U.N. Agency for Migration and Swedish agency for peace, security, and development (FBA), advising on reintegration, security sector reform, and climate security.

My research focuses on individuals who take up and lay down arms, the interventions that target them, and trust-building in communities affected by organized violence. I have led fieldwork in Colombia since 2010, alongside projects in Mexico, El Salvador, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, and among U.S., Afghan, Colombian, and Ukrainian military veterans. My work has informed national and international security policies, including reintegration strategies in Ukraine, security sector reform in the Horn of Africa, and climate security in the Middle East and North Africa.

I maintain three core research strands:

• Trust and (mis)trust in violence-affected communities, particularly among ex-combatants and conflict survivors.
• Organizational cultures and intervention practices, examining how institutions shape reintegration and peacebuilding efforts.
•  The role of security policy in shaping reintegration outcomes, particularly how policies address the needs of formerly armed actors and their receiving communities and influence stability in contexts marked by violence. 

My research has been funded by UKRI (ESRC and AHRC), Fulbright-Hays, the Pozen Family Center for Human Rights, and the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts.

In addition to my research, I am a frequent speaker on international security, reintegration, and human rights, with engagements at institutions such as the Aspen Ideas Festival, Global Special Operations Forces (SOF) Foundation, and the U.S. Southern Command. My writing has appeared in War on the Rocks, Modern War Institute, American Anthropologist, and over a dozen policy reports for the U.N. and international development agencies.

I hold a Ph.D. and M.A. in Comparative Human Development from the University of Chicago, an M.B.A. from Simmons University, and executive education certifications from Harvard Kennedy School and The Graduate Institute in Geneva.

erinmcfee [at] gmail.com 

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