Titles of Honorary Professor and Honorary Professors of Practice are awarded to recognise and reward the contribution of people of distinction to teaching, research and input through professional standing, to Queen’s University Belfast.

Avila Kilmurray is the Peacebuilding and Migration Executive at Social Change Initiative (SCI) in Belfast.  Her work centres on community-based peacebuilding and conflict transformation both in relation to the conflict in Northern Ireland but also to support for inclusive community development and leadership. 

Active on women’s issues, anti-poverty initiatives and community development since 1975, Avila’s practice also extends internationally as co-founder of the Foundations for Peace Network - a peer-to-peer support group for locally-based philanthropy in divided societies.  She was previously Director of the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland (1994-2014).  These roles enabled her to research, and focus on, the contribution of philanthropy to peacebuilding.

Avila’s research focuses on community-based conflict transformation and the role of civil society in peacebuilding.  She also has a deep commitment to community engagement and hopes to support increased networking between grassroots activism and academia.

Avila has a specific interest in women’s participation: she was a founder member of the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition and a member of its negotiating team for the Good Friday Agreement (1998).  She has particular interest in the contribution and role of women in peace, security and development, reflecting on experience drawn from Northern Ireland to share with activists in many societies facing challenges of violence and polarization.  Avila is invited regularly to speak internationally on women’s involvement in decision-making. 

Avila holds both a PhD (Institute of Governance) from QUB and an Honorary Doctorate from Queen’s University. 

A committed activist on issues of conflict transformation and social justice, Avila is interested in enhancing networking between community-based initiatives and academia through identifying opportunities for further research and shared learning. 

She also brings an expertise on post-conflict re-integration and reconstruction issues, particularly as affecting often marginalised and excluded communities and groups. 

She looks forward to contributing to the Mitchell Institute’s priority themes and activities, in expanding knowledge and maximising connections in these areas of interest.

Mitchell Institute Director Professor Richard English commented: ‘We’re very excited that Dr Kilmurray will be joining us as an Honorary Professor of Practice.  Avila brings vast expertise, experience and commitment to peacebuilding and conflict transformation, and it will be a privilege for us to have her involved in the work of the Mitchell Institute.’

Publications

Avila’s reflections and research have resulted in a number of publications.  Recent publications include:

Community Action in a Contested Society: The Story of Northern Ireland (Lang, 2017);

Peacebuilding, Conflict and Community Development (Policy Press 2023); co-editor of Eversley, J., Gormally, S. & Kilmurray, A. (eds)

Community-Based Peacebuilding: Signals for Track III’, in Desivilya, H. & Corry, G. (eds) ‘Track III Actions: Transforming Protracted Political Conflicts from the Bottom-Up’ (De Gruyter, 2022). 

Drawing on her practical experience of philanthropy and conflict transformation, previous publications include:

Participative Decision-Making in Contested Societies: Examples from the Field of Community Philanthropy (Foundation Review, Grand Valley State University, USA, 2015); and

Philanthropy and Peacebuilding in Conflict-Affected Environments (Social Change Initiative, Belfast, 2016).