PEACE Research Group

Aberystwyth University is among the UK’s most awarded institutions in both quality of education and student satisfaction. The Research Group for the Prevention of Exploitation, Atrocities, Corruption and Extremism (PEACE Research Group) was established in 2025, as part of the university’s commitment to remain a leading, international actor in the search for solutions to local, national and international issues through trans and interdisciplinary approaches.

Our Mission

Through contributions from faculty, students, alumni and (other) external partners, our mission with the PEACE Research Group is to promote efforts which aim to examine and oppose the misuse, abuse and manipulation of people, power, positions and platforms.

For the group’s mission statement

  • Download the provided PDF
  • Download the provided DOCX

If you are interested in shaping the PEACE Research Group from the ground up, or simply want to learn more, please contact Dr Dakota Ward at daw129@aber.ac.uk.

Our Rationale and Role

Regardless of our unique expertise, disciplines and skillsets, we are all able and obliged to promote and protect a just, safe and healthy existence. This sentiment is increasingly pertinent to academics.

Within its mission-based accreditations, the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administrations (NASPAA) has adopted the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for pursuing “a better and more sustainable future for all”. In its 2029 Research Excellence Framework (REF), the UK requires top quality institutions to perform studies and work which have real-world uptake, use and impact (UKRI, 2022).  

To bolster Aberystwyth University’s already laudable efforts in achieving such objectives and standards, a coalition dedicated to partnering and promoting such work is crucial.

Our Aims and Services

PEACE Research Group will help support and oversee mission-oriented efforts and activities, including (but not limited to) the following:

  • Fostering relationships between PEACE Research Group members and partners at local, national and international levels.
  • Identifying new issues, areas and/or opportunities for joint and independent action, studies and events.
  • Arranging and attending networking and/or socialisation events.
  • Developing and distributing educational material.
  • Performing action research projects with university staff to promote the group’s efforts and ethos within modules and/or programmes.
  • Utilising the Old College’s facilities to achieve the university’s aim of providing a venue for overcoming shared challenges.

Our People and Partners

Dakota J. Ward: Dr Ward is an associate lecturer in the Department of Law and Criminology, specialising in investigative psychology, victimology and policing. Currently, Dr Ward serves as the Director of the PEACE Research Group, with a special interest in the prevention of genocide and other mass atrocities.

News

Dakota J. Ward will be joining the 2025/26 cohort of Charles E. Scheidt Faculty Fellows in Atrocity Prevention with the Institute of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP) at Binghamton University. This opportunity will serve to develop curriculum which supports the missions of I-GMAP and the PEACE Research Group.