Bio

Dr. Lona James Elia is a distinguished gender, peacebuilding, governance, and development specialist with over twenty-five years of professional experience advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment, social inclusion, democratic governance, policy advocacy, research, and institutional development. A South Sudanese scholar-practitioner, she has built an extensive record of accomplishment of working with governments, United Nations agencies, international development partners, civil society organizations, and academic institutions to promote inclusive and sustainable development in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Dr. Elia holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Peace and Development Studies from the University of Juba, where she also serves as an Assistant Professor, teaching and mentoring the next generation of peace and governance practitioners. Her academic and policy research focuses on women’s political participation, women’s movements, democratic transitions, peacebuilding, constitution-making processes, and elections, with a particular emphasis on South Sudan and post-conflict African contexts. She earned a Master’s degree in Poverty Reduction, Conflict and Reconstruction from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor’s degree in Community Development from Daystar University, Kenya. Throughout her career, she has led and contributed to high-level assignments in gender mainstreaming, Women, Peace and Security (WPS), governance reform, conflict sensitivity, climate and gender integration, programme evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and policy development. In addition to her academic role, Dr. Elia serves as a Research Fellow at the Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies and holds leadership positions within national and regional women’s peace and governance networks. She is widely recognized for her commitment to advancing women’s leadership, inclusive governance, peacebuilding, and transformative social change in South Sudan and beyond.