The Mershon Center for International Security Studies has a new peace studies coordinator on staff by way of Northern Ireland.

Teri Murphy was most recently deputy executive director at Corrymeela Peace Center, Northern Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization. There she oversaw an analytic review of peacebuilding programming and facilitated development of a consensus-driven strategic plan; supervised 35 full-time staff and 25 volunteers; and managed a £1.5 million budget.

The experience positions her well for the peace studies coordinator role, which is split between the Mershon Center and the International Studies Program. For Mershon, Murphy will work with Christopher Gelpi, Chair in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, to develop, plan, execute and supervise peace-related programming and educational activities, including conferences and speaker panels; cultivate, expand and sustain collaborative partnerships with community organizations; and supervise peace-related student groups and activities.

Her activities will develop a bridge between the academic research fostered at the Mershon Center and the central Ohio community, both inside and outside Ohio State, interested in the promotion of peace at the local, national, and international levels.

Additionally, Murphy will teach three undergraduate courses each year for the International Studies Program’s Peace Studies minor. Along with the director of the International Studies Progam, she will shape the program in peace studies, developing courses that could eventually transform the minor into a major at Ohio State.

Murphy has been actively engaged in conflict intervention and peacebuilding in several international contexts for the past 25 years. Her primary research interests focus on the intersection between peace, human security, and development.

As a scholar-practitioner, Murphy conducts applied research in conflict-affected settings including Afghanistan, Northern Ireland, Turkey/Syria, and the MENA region. Her focus is on developing culturally adaptive and complexity sensitive policies and practices for relief, stabilization, development, and transitional processes. She has written several policy briefs related to Turkey’s mediative influence and aid approach in the region.

Before her position at Corrymeela, Murphy was a consultant for Christian Aid in Dublin, Ireland; director for the International Development and Service master's program at Concordia University in Portland, Ore.; faculty program coordinator at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey; senior adviser for conflict analysis and resolution at Istanbul Policy Center; peacebuilding practitioner at South Africa Community Fund in Cape Town; and faculty associate in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University.

Murphy has a Ph.D. in social psychology from University of Cape Town.