Heidi Riley is Assistant Professor in International Relations in the School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin. Her main research area is in gender and armed conflict, with a particular focus on the interaction between ideology and masculinity within non-state armed groups. She is also a member of the UCD GLOBUS research team where her work is focused on the EU’s contribution to promoting women in peace mediation and negotiations and a Board member of Karti Project, an NGO that supports women affected by conflict living in Ireland. 

She previously worked for the Conflict Resolution Unit at the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and a variety of Irish human rights NGOs. Her early career was in the production and technical side of the performing arts and is therefore a strong advocate for the use of the arts in conflict resolution.