Welcome! Thank you for visiting my website. I am a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute, based in Florence, Italy. I received my DPhil at the University of Oxford, in the Department of Politics and International Relations, Nuffield College. Previously, I was a PhD Fellow at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI). I am also a Fellow at the Centre on Armed Groups, based in Geneva.

My research interests include civil war and political violence, civilian agency in war and international stabilisation and peace-building operations. I have studied these issues primarily in the Sahel, with a particular focus on Central Mali. I have conducted fieldwork in Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Somalia and Mali.

My doctoral thesis examined how civilians responded to a local jihadist rebellion in Central Mali. The doctoral thesis draws on fieldwork with war-affected people from Central Mali, which I conducted in Bamako between September 2021 - April 2022.

Prior to starting my PhD at Oxford, I have been a Research Fellow at NUPI, conducting research on insurgencies in the Sahel and peace operations in conflict affected contexts mainly in Africa. While at NUPI, I was seconded to the African Union, in the Peace Operations Division as a Policy Officer between 2016-2017. Prior to joining NUPI, I have interned in various non-governmental organisations, such as Human Rights Watch in London and Relief International in Colombo. I have a bachelor in European Social and Political Studies, specialising in International Relations and French from University College London and an MSc in Conflict Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

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Email: natasja.rupesinghe@politics.ox.ac.uk

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