Women in War and International Politics - Panel Discussion

Women in War and International Politics (WIWIP) is hosting a panel discussion with US Army Commander, Rose Lopez Keravuori, the Director of the Oxford Research Group, Emily Knowles, and two Researchers working with the Oxford Research Group, Abigail Watson and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen.

The panellists will talk both about the work that they are doing and how women can build successful careers in these fields.

The event will conclude with a wine reception and will be a great opportunity to network.

Please note that the event is not exclusively for women – all are welcome!

Emily Knowles: is the Associate Fellow of Oxford Research Group’s Remote Warfare Programme. She writes and speaks regularly on changes in military engagement. Her research and policy interests include: the changing role of Britain’s special forces; security force assistance; the use of partner forces in combat; and the military, legal, and political implications of light-footprint remote warfare. She also leads on the team’s field research in conflict environments, having recently conducted research in Kabul, Basra, and Baghdad. Her commentary has been included in programmes like BBC1’s The Big Questions, BBC Radio 4’s The Briefing Room, and the British Forces Broadcasting Services’ Sitrep.

Rose Lopez Keravuori: has spent 22 years in the US Army as an active duty and reserve military intelligence officer. She led troops at the tactical and operational levels in Afghanistan and Iraq and was deployed on several peacekeeping operations in the Balkans. Her current reserve assignment is Commander of the 259thExpeditionary Military Intelligence BDE. Before command, she was a strategic war planner at CENTCOM. She is the CEO and Founder of Rise Out in Support of Empowering Women (ROSE Women), LLC, a consulting firm whose mission includes empowering and enabling women in business and government internationally.

Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen: is a Research and Advocacy Assistant at Oxford Research Group’s Remote Warfare Programme. She supports the team’s research on changes in military engagement, as well as their work with Parliament and policy-makers. Her research interests include international security, armed groups, and sub-national conflict analysis. She also produces ORG's Westminster Round-Up series. She co-founded and led The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network, a social enterprise focused on supporting refugees in the UK to become self-sustained through entrepreneurialism. She also worked as Lead Researcher and Script Writer on a UNHCR project to develop educational material for children, and has worked with European labour unions to conduct extensive research into the challenges facing young Palestinian workers.

Abigail Watson: is a Research Officer at Oxford Research Group’s Remote Warfare Programme. She researches and presents on the military, legal, and political implications of light-footprint remote warfare. Her research interests include: long term planning and decision-making processes in UK defence policy; the rise in targeted killing as a counter-terrorism tool; the long-term implications of current military operations; and the UK’s provision of capabilities to conflicts in areas where the UK has not admitted to its own military engagement. Her articles have been published in E-IR, OpenDemocracy, Real Clear Defense, Defence Report, the Small Wars Journal, and War is Boring.