Dr. Eleanor Williams

Dr. Eleanor Leah Williams is an Assistant Professor in Security at Dublin City University, and is the Programme Chair for the MA in International Relations and the MA in Security and Conflict. Her expertise focuses on security, intelligence, negotiation and secrecy, specifically in Northern Ireland.

Eleanor has published on these themes in a number of journals such as Intelligence and National Security, Critical Studies on Terrorism, Irish Political Studies, Journal of Common Market Studies and more.

Eleanor is currently the Chair of the ECPR Political Violence section, and has been on their steering committee since 2022. Eleanor is also a board member of the Women's Intelligence Network.

Dr. Williams completed her PhD at Queen’s University Belfast, where she conducted a groundbreaking study titled “Were the state’s intelligence activities during the conflicts in Northern Ireland and Colombia ethical?”. Supported by a £60,000 grant from the Department for the Economy, her thesis critically examined intelligence ethics in conflict settings, utilizing Omand and Phythian’s Just Intelligence framework. Her research incorporated interviews with a range of key figures, from former intelligence personnel to members of the IRA and FARC, to explore state power, intelligence ethics, and peace agreements. 

From 2023-24, Dr. Williams also held a Junior Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford, where she advanced research on the covert role of civil servants during the Northern Irish peace process, publishing multiple articles stemming from this project. She has presented this work widely including at University of Oxford, Cambridge University, Warwick University, King's College London, Queen Mary University, and Queen's University Belfast.

Beyond academia, Dr. Williams is committed to public engagement and policy impact. Her research has been showcased on the SpyCast podcast, reaching tens of thousands of listeners, and she has presented her findings on S4C’s national news and BBC Radio Cymru. Her educational outreach includes a project for the UK National Archives, developing an educational package on the Good Friday Agreement for distribution to thousands of schools across the UK and Ireland.

Eleanor is the Programme Chair of the MA in International Relations and the MA in Secuirty and Conflict. Furthermore, Eleanor currently teaches on: 

POL1096- Core Skills and Methods in International Relations [First Year IR]

POL1031- Intelligence and National Security [Second Year IR]

POL1038- Key Issues in International Relations [Final Year IR]

POL1063- Emerging Issues in Security [MA- MISC, MIR and IMSISS]