Staff

Conflict Research Consortium

The missions of the Consortium and, more specifically, the Beyond Intractability project reflect the convergence of two long-standing streams of work. The first is an exploitation of the unique abilities of Web-based information systems to speed the flow of conflict-related information among those working in the field and the general public. The second is an investigation of strategies for more constructively addressing intractable conflict problems — those difficult situations which lie at the frontier of the field. While much of this work is also applicable to small-scale, tractable disputes, our primary focus is on large-scale conflicts which divide organizations, communities, societies, and nations. We believe that the enormous complexities and destructiveness associated with these conflicts requires a new approach — one which adapts and applies existing insights to new situations, and involves intermediaries and adversaries at all levels of society. Therefore, a key part of our mission is making basic conflict information available to as many people as possible, helping them become aware that there are options available that are far superior to the continuation of destructive and often violent confrontations.

In the past, the Consortium has been involved in a number of projects which contribute directly to this knowledge base. These include CRInfo, the International Online Training Program on Intractable Conflict, the Environmental Framing Consortium on Intractable Conflict, the Stanford/Hewlett Theory Centers Conference on Intractable Conflict, the Civil Rights Mediation Oral History Project, and the Conflict Research Consortium Intractable Conflict Project.

In addition, the Consortium collaborated from 2010 to 2012 with the One Earth Future Foundation to add a third major stream of work on governance. The collaboration between The Governance Commons (TGC) and Beyond Intractability greatly strengthened both projects.

Heidi Burgess, Ph.D. and Guy Burgess, Ph.D. Project Directors
The Beyond Intractability project has been co-directed by Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. The Burgesses are also co-directors of the University of Colorado Conflict Research Consortium, which they founded (with others) in 1988. As a team, they have been doing research, writing, and teaching on intractable conflicts for about twenty years, with an emphasis on international, inter-group, value-based, and environmental conflicts. They have also been leaders in the field of Internet dissemination of conflict resolution information, having designed and co-directed CRInfo: The Conflict Resolution Information Source (the predecessor to this project), the Online Training Program on Intractable Conflicts, and the Civil Rights Mediation Oral History Project.

Michael Torley, Professional Research Associate and Computer Programmer
Mike has been with the Consortium for over ten years--he started as an undergraduate before we even started Beyond Intractability, stayed throughout grad school (in Religious Studies at the University of Denver), and is now working for us full-time. While he has taken on many different roles over the years, the most prominent and most important now is that he almost single-handedly built the new Beyond Intractability computer system. He worked with Guy (and to a lesser extent, Heidi) on the design, but it was Mike alone who translated all of our desires into Drupal (and many other associated modules and programs) and built the system that you see here.

Graduate and Undergraduate Students
Many graduate and undergraduate students have helped us develop the content knowledge base. Most have been at the University of Colorado, but many students from The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University have also contributed articles. The Notre Dame students are listed in the author section. University of Colorado graduate student assistants have included:

Jennifer Akin - Computational Linguistics, University of Colorado
Eamon Alloyo - Political Science, University of Colorado - Research Assistant with One Earth Future, contributed work to TGC and hence to BI as well.
Philip Barker - Political Science, University of Colorado
Eric Brahm - Political Science, University of Colorado
Daniel Cer - Computer Science, University of Colorado
Rob Gardner - Sociology, University of Colorado
Michelle Maiese - Philosophy, University of Colorado
Sandra Marker - Sociology, University of Colorado
Karen McKenna - International Studies, University of Colorado, (BA) International Studies, University of Denver (MA)
Julian Ouellet - Political Science, University of Colorado
Julian Portilla - Julian has a Master's Degree from the Institute of Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University; he has worked as an interviewer and audio producer on this project
Norman Schultz - Philosophy, University of Colorado
Michael Shane Smith - Political Science, University of Colorado
Brad Spangler - Anthropology, University of Colorado
Michael Torley - Religious Studies, University of Denver

Undergraduate student assistants have included:

Randi Abels - English, University of Colorado
Sabra Anckner - Sociology, University of Colorado
Lauren Bader - International Studies, University of Colorado
Sarah Cast - University of Colorado, Political Science, University of Colorado
Karen Forster - Accounting, University of Colorado
Kristin Hamada - Political Science and Psychology, University of Colorado
William Herrera - Accounting, University of Colorado
Stefanie Herrington - Political Science, University of Colorado
Julie Jarvis - Political Science, University of Colorado
Caitlin Kaufman, International Studies, University of Colorado
April Lipinski - Anthropology, University of Colorado
Cate Malek - Journalism and American Studies, University of Colorado
Alexandra Malkin - Environmental Studies, University of Colorado
Jessica Martel - English, University of Colorado
Scott Mefferd - Computer Science, University of Colorado
Ashleigh Mayer - Psychology and Sociology, University of Colorado
Erin McGovern - Russian Studies, University of Colorado
Audrey Roberts - Anthropology, University of Colorado
Audrey Royem - International Affairs, University of Colorado
Katie Schroeder - Psychology, University of Colorado
Lucy Selzer - International Affairs, University of Colorado
Rafael Salomon - Computer Science, University of Colorado
Courtney Wagner - Accounting, University of Colorado
Vicki Wei, International Affairs, University of Colorado
Malinda Withers - International Affairs, University of Colorado