Dr. Imrana Buba
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Oslo
I am a political scientist researching the changing dynamics of political violence, civilian self-protection, and post-conflict recovery. I hold a PhD in Political Science from the University of Oslo and an MSc in Africa and International Development from the University of Edinburgh. My PhD dissertation, funded by the ResilienceBuilding project, examines variation in civilian self-protection strategies during conflict, their protective effects, and unintended consequences in Nigeria. I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher on the ResilienceBuilding project, where I study how local actors interact with and shape externally driven development and peacebuilding interventions in conflict-affected communities.
My work has been published in Journal of Peace Research, International Studies Review, Political Geography, and Global Studies Quarterly, and is currently under review at Security Studies, International Affairs, and Journal of Global Security Studies. I received the Conflict Research Society’s 2024 Cedric Smith Prize for the best peace and conflict research by a PhD candidate, and the International Studies Association’s 2026 Kenneth Boulding Award for the best graduate student paper in peace studies presented at the annual ISA conference.
I have taught undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Oslo, and I regularly engage in policy discussions with organizations such as the African Union, the European Union, and the United Nations.