Dr Louis Francis Monroy Santander PhD

MSc in Health Economics and Health Policy, University of Birmingham, 1999

PhD in international development, University of Birmingham, 2018

MA in Social Research, University of Birmingham, 2014

Msc in International Development (Conflict, Security and development), University of Birmingham, 2012

U.K. Certified Qualified Teacher Status, CILT, London, 2009

Postgraduate diploma in the Interamerican System for Human Rights, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia, 2002.

B.A. in Political Science and International relations, Pontificia Univesidad Javeriana, Colombia, 2002

As a peace and conflict researcher, I work at the crossroads of transitional justice, mental health and peacebuilding.  My most recent work as a research fellow for the University of Birmingham meant the exploration of mental health issues for young people affected by armed conflict in the Colombian Pacific region.  This entailed looking at the formal and informal resources that children and young people have available to address complex mental health issues (PTSD, anxiety, depression) and the way informal and formal structures for addressing mental health in conflict settings connect in the Pacific region of Colombia.  Before this, I had the opportunity to research informal practices around transitional justice and human rights activism of gender-focused and women-led associations in Colombia.  This research was interested in looking at the connections and tensions between institutional structures for transitional justice and the informal, grassroots practices of civil society organisations in the country, amidst a scenario that varies between conflict, post-conflict and post-agreement situations.   I was also involved in restorative justice initiatives with members of the COMUNES (Former FARC) party, to discuss pedagogically and academically the prospects of restoration work with victims of the Colombian armed conflict.

In the Western Balkans, I was dedicated to the research of postwar reconciliation issues and their connection with processes of transitional justice, statebuilding and international peacebuilding.  I had the opportunity to look at the cases of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo to understand the approaches taken to the concept of reconciliation as an objective for NGOs and international actors on the ground, as well as a lived experience for citizens living in the country during their respective postwar periods.  This work entailed academic research as well as immersion into the work of grassroots NGOs: from community-building practices, storytelling and truth-finding activities, all the way to peace education and the promotion of interethnic reconciliation activities.

Currently collaborating with the teaching of the module Terrorism and Regional Conflicts (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia) at an undergraduate level for students of international relations, as well as dissertation writing and guidance for undergraduate students.