About

I am the Programme Leader for the MSc Intelligence Security and Disaster Management and my teaching and research interests span across sociology, criminology and social psychology. I teach modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels and my research has been published in academic journals and professional reports. My work engages with a broad range of topics relating to peace and security including preventing violent extremism, resolving intergroup conflicts, and building cohesive and resilient communities. My current research projects are focused on the role of narratives in political violence and on community-led approaches to building resilience. 

I have a professional background in the charity sector, including extensive experience in Northern Ireland where I designed and managed community-level projects aimed at improving trust between communities, engaging marginalised youth and preventing extremism. Building on this background, I bring a focus on policy and practice to my teaching and research.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach extensively on the MSc Intelligence, Security and Disaster Management programme and also contribute to undergraduate teaching on topics of social change and social inequalities. In my teaching, I encourage students to think critically and reflectively about the world we live in. I link academic theories to real-life case studies and support students in developing potential solutions to contemporary challenges such as violent extremism, declining social cohesion and the increasingly severe impacts of extreme weather. 

Research interests

I have a strong interest in understanding why people choose to engage in violence and how this can be effectively prevented. I am also deeply concerned with how we prepare communities to meet the contemporary challenges resulting from polarisation, extreme weather and geopolitical insecurity. My current research projects are focused on the role of narratives in political violence and on community-led approaches to building resilience. 

Previously I have conducted research into topics such as interethnic conflict resolution, international peacebuilding and supporting refugee integration. My research has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and in reports for governmental and non-governmental organisations.

Membership of professional bodies

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Member of the Editorial Board for Conflict Resolution Quarterly
• Advisory Board Member for the Hatred Monitoring Centre

Qualifications

• B. A. (Hons) Medieval History and Spanish (First Class Honours) – University of St Andrews
• M.A. (Hons) Culture, Curriculum and Change – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Graduate Certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Graduate Certificate in International Development Policy – Duke University
• PhD Peace and Conflict Studies – University of Otago

Recent conferences

• Kappmeier, M. & Rafferty, R. (2026, July). Ghosts of the Past: How Collective Memory Narratives Shape Trust and Engagement. European Association for Social Psychology Conference (EASP), Strasbourg, France.

• Kappmeier, M. & Rafferty, R. (2026, July). Intergroup Trust and the Ghosts of the Past: The impact of Collective Memories on Contemporary Trust. International Society of Political Psychology Annual Conference. Newcastle, UK

• Rafferty, R. (April 11^th 2026) Conceptualising hate narratives a driver of coordinated destruction. British Sociological Association Annual Conference. Online presentation.

• Anderson, V. & Rafferty, R. (2020, August). Toia mai te waka: Collaborative efforts to foster educational access and success for refugee background students in Aotearoa New Zealand. Forced Migration and The Global Education 2030 Agenda: From educational research to policy and practice. ECER Webinar

• Rafferty, R. (2019, July). Overcoming ethnonationalism: Learning from processes of narrative reappraisal among peacebuilding activists in Northern Ireland. Verbal presentation at International Society of Political Psychology Annual Conference, Lisbon, Portugal. 

Experience in industry

Before I moved into an academic career I gained several years of work experience in the charity sector, including work in Northern Ireland and New Zealand and consultancy work for an international NGO based in the Netherlands. 

In my time working in Northern Ireland I designed and managed a range of community-level projects aimed at improving relationships between diverse communities, engaging with marginalised youth and reducing support for extremist violence. My experiences include facilitating group dialogues, coordinating community art projects and developing training courses for diverse sectors of society such as teachers, community police officers and youth workers. 

I have also worked with the New Zealand Red Cross in the past, coordinating youth humanitarian projects and supporting young Syrian refugees. During my time in New Zealand, I also undertook mediation training and gained experience as a volunteer mediator.

Recent publications

• Rafferty, R. & Kappmeier, M. (2026). Rethinking narrative intervention: The potential role of alternative narratives in interethnic reconciliation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 113, p.102426. Rethinking narrative intervention: The potential role of alternative narratives in interethnic reconciliation - ScienceDirect
• McGaughey, F., Rafferty, R. and Maguire, A., (2023). Transitional justice from above and below: exploring the potential glocalising role of non-governmental organisations through a Northern Ireland case study. Northern Ireland Legal Quarterly, 74(3), pp.472-509
• Anderson, V., Cone, T., Rafferty, R. and Inoue, N., (2022). 'Mobile agency and relational webs in women’s narratives of international study'. Higher Education, pp. 1-17
• Standish, K., Devere, H., Suazo, A., Rafferty, R. (Eds.) (2021). The Palgrave Handbook of Positive Peace. Springer Palgrave. 
• Rafferty, R. (2021). Legitimising peace: Representations of victimhood and reconciliation in the narratives of local peacebuilders in Northern Ireland. In K. Clements & S.Y. Lee (Eds.) Multilevel Reconciliation and Peacebuilding: Stakeholder Perspectives
• Rafferty, R. (2020). Conflict narratives, action frames, and engagement in reconciliation efforts among community activists in Northern Ireland. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 26(1), 9–21
• Rafferty, R., Burgin A. & Anderson, V. (2020). Do we really offer refuge? Using Galtung’s concept of structural violence to interrogate refugee resettlement in Aotearoa New Zealand. Sites: A Journal of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies (1), pp. 1-25
• Rafferty, R. (2020). Rights, resources, and relationships: A ‘three Rs’ framework for enhancing the educational resilience of refugee background youth. In V. Anderson & H. Johnson (Eds.) Migration, education, and translation: Cross-disciplinary perspectives on human mobility and cultural encounters in education settings. Abington: Routledge
• Rafferty, R. (2019). “It affects me as a man”: Recognising and responding to former refugee men’s experiences of resettlement. An exploratory study in Dunedin, New Zealand. National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies Policy Paper Series, 2019/1
• Rafferty, R. (2017). Engaging with the violent past to motivate and direct conflict resolution practice in Northern Ireland. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 35(2), 197-221
• Rafferty, R. (2017). Navigating identities and emotions in the field: A local researcher’s strategies in Northern Ireland. Journal of Conflict Transformation and Security, 6(1)
• Rafferty, R. & Clements, K. (2017). International support for peace processes: New Zealand case study. In J. Langmore, T. Miletic, A. Martin, and N. Shea (Eds.) State support for peace processes: A multi-country review. Canberra, Australia: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade