Kaleigh Sara Heard

Academic Year: 
2017-18
Direction: 
To Yale
Exchange Partners: 
University of British Columbia
Project Title: 
Paying for Peace: Effects of Condolence Payments in the Aftermath of Armed Conflict

Kaleigh is a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of British Columbia.  Her work broadly concerns the experiences of civilians in conflict and civil-military relations during counterinsurgency campaigns.  Specifically, Kaleigh’s work examines the use of condolence payments provided to civilians harmed during military operations by foreign occupying forces, their normative appeal, and their effectiveness in quelling retaliation and radicalization in counterinsurgency campaigns.  She also leads work on several long-term research projects concerning restitution, sexual and gender based violence, and forced migration.  Kaleigh holds several national and international scholarships and fellowships, including a Doctoral Fellowship with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, a Four Year Fellowship, and a doctoral fellowship with the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. 

In addition to Kaleigh’s academic work, Kaleigh is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Unmentionables, an international non-profit organization providing sexual and reproductive health products and education to communities impacted by forced displacement around the world and a former Defence Scientist specializing in strategic analysis and operational planning for Defence Research and Development Canada, a branch of Canadian Department of National Defence.  Kaleigh holds a Master of Arts in Political Science (UBC), a Master of Arts in War Studies (Royal Military College of Canada), and a Bachelor of Arts (Hon.) in International Relations (UWO).