PeaceRep welcomed Professor Sir John Edmunds, OBE FMedSci, FCDO Chief Scientific Adviser and colleagues from the UK FCDO for a visit to the University of Edinburgh Law School on 4 February 2026.
The PeaceRep team showcased our role as an international research consortium shaping peace and transition processes through data-driven, comparative research.
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Chief Scientific Adviser Hails PeaceRep’s Data-Driven Research on Visit to Edinburgh
As Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Chief Scientific Adviser, Prof Sir John Edmunds took the opportunity to speak with PeaceRep researchers about data-driven research and methodology.
As a global leader in PeaceTech innovation and peace analytics, PeaceRep showcased our databases and digital tools to support conflict resolution policy and practice. PeaceRep researchers introduced the PA-X Peace Agreements Database, the most expansive collection of peace agreements data in the world, and demonstrated the PA-X Tracker, our newest tool offering data-driven insights into peace process implementation and monitoring. The delegation discussed how PeaceRep’s development of PA-X has contributed to data infrastructure through the development of its ontology, with scope for much broader application.
The CSA commented on the importance of PeaceRep’s research and data-driven insights: “The range, depth, and innovation of PeaceRep’s work is impressive, and FCDO greatly values this research. Against a backdrop of major geopolitical conflict — in places such as Ukraine, Sudan and Gaza — PeaceRep provides the depth of analysis and clarity that policymakers urgently need. PeaceRep addresses some of the most critical and complex issues in contemporary peace processes and is an invaluable resource.”
PeaceRep’s Principal Investigator Prof Christine Bell and Managing Director Tim Epple thanked the FCDO for their continued support and funding of PeaceRep’s research.
Prof Liz Baggs, Vice-Principal for Research and Innovation at the University of Edinburgh and Prof Alexandra Braun, Lord President Reid Chair of Law at Edinburgh Law School, praised PeaceRep for ongoing contributions to the field of peace and conflict studies and practice. PeaceRep is harnessing data, digital methods, and artificial intelligence for the public good – one of the core missions set out in the University’s Research and Innovation Strategy.
About PeaceRep
PeaceRep is an international consortium of research and practitioner organisations led by the University of Edinburgh Law School. PeaceRep’s interdisciplinary research examines the major trends and shifts in the post-1990 peace and transition process landscape. We work on comparative research, digital PeaceTech innovation, peace process design and support, and research-led teaching and training. PeaceRep is funded by UK International Development from the UK government from 2021–2027.