Alyssa Paylor

Alyssa Paylor (peace studies and anthropology) holds a Master of Global Affairs with an International Peace Studies concentration from the University of Notre Dame. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in anthropology and political science from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

She has over six years of professional and volunteer experience working with grassroots peace and education organizations in Israel, Palestine, Myanmar, and Thailand. Alyssa's work has included program and project management, curriculum and toolkit development, applied research, and fundraising and development.

As a Ph.D. student, Alyssa intends to build upon her master’s research that examined concepts of reconciliation in a community of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. Her research interests include examining spaces and practices of solidarity, activism, and care in conditions of power asymmetry. She is interested in how activists in marginalized peace movements use historical narratives and personal memories to garner support from their communities while contesting conditions of structural and physical violence.

Alyssa is a Notre Dame Presidential Fellow.