Members of the PeaceRep team accepted the RSE Mary Somerville Medal at yesterday’s awards ceremony in Edinburgh.
The award recognises outstanding achievement in teamwork and collaborative endeavour and the significant contribution of women to the nation’s scientific research and innovation in Scotland. Led by Prof Christine Bell, PeaceRep is one of the first recipients of this medal, which was established in 2022.
Read the University of Edinburgh news story: Projects using data for good awarded medals
PeaceRep awarded RSE Mary Somerville Medal
Members of the PeaceRep team at the University of Edinburgh were delighted to accept the Mary Somerville Medal at the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) 2023 awards ceremony on 22 November.
The award announcement was made earlier this year, with PeaceRep recognised for its outstanding collaborative work, pivotal role in networking peace and conflict organisations, and digital innovation in peacebuilding research. Christine Bell, PeaceRep’s Executive Director, commented:
At a time when the world seems perilously engaged in war, this medal affirms the importance of continual peacemaking in dark and dangerous moments. Our team at the University of Edinburgh – many of whom started their careers with this project – has been privileged to work as part of a wider team of groups in Scotland, but also including local peacebuilders in contexts as varied as Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Iraq and Yemen.
At yesterday’s medal ceremony, PeaceRep was honoured alongside the EAVE II team, also based at the University of Edinburgh. EAVE II was recognised for the team’s work on the COVID-19 response in Scotland and the UK and their use of a purpose-built rich data platform.
PeaceRep draws on data from around the world to better understand peace processes, their characteristics and levels of ‘success’. With a suite of digital tools already available, PeaceRep is continuing to expand offerings with the recent release of a children and youth interactive dashboard.
Prof Bell continued:
The award of the medal will encourage us, and we hope others, to continue to explore how new technologies can be used to harness innovation in research and practice. We are honoured to accept it, and in turn pay our tribute to those we work with who are struggling to address the violent conflicts in which they live.
The RSE relaunched its medals in 2022, with the new addition of the Mary Somerville Medal in the previously unrepresented sector of Teamwork and Collaborative Endeavour.
The medal: ‘recognizes exceptional achievement in research in teamwork and collaborative endeavour within Scottish Higher Education Institute (HEI), between Scottish HEI and other institutions/businesses, and within other institutions, nationally and internationally.’
As a consortium of research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and local research teams led by the University of Edinburgh Law School, PeaceRep is made up of over 50 researchers, mediation practitioners, lawyers, data scientists, managers, and communications professionals dedicated to reimagining peace and transition processes in changing conflict contexts.
Explore PeaceRep’s key research findings, data and digital tools, and publications.
Read more about PeaceRep consortium members.
