Kelsey Shanks is a research fellow at the University of Exeter and the GCRF challenge leader for Education. Kelsey is based in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, where her research agenda focuses on the relationship between education and conflict in divided societies, with exploration of education's links to post-conflict stabilization and peacebuilding agendas. She has conducted extensive research in Iraq, along with work in Israel/Palestine, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, and Lebanon. Kelsey has led commissioned research projects for a range of international actors, including UNAMI, UNICEF, USAID, and GIZ. She has a demonstrated record of external engagement, most recently speaking at the Education Cannot Wait Education Forum on Syria and the UNICEF MENA education forum. Kelsey's academic career has been research focused, with fellowships at the University of York Postwar Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU) and the University of Exeter Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies (IAIS). In addition, she has held the position of associate researcher at Ulster University's UNESCO Centre for Multidisciplinary Research on Children and Youth since 2015. Kelsey is the author of Education and Ethno-Politics; Defending identity in Iraq (Routledge, 2015) and various book chapters and articles. She holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Exeter.