Gudrun Østby
Research Professor
Research Interests
- Armed conflict and maternal health
- Sexual and gender-based violence
- Education and conflict
- Horizontal inequalities and conflict
- Urban violence
Languages spoken:
Norwegian, English, Spanish, basic French.
Working experience:
2021–: Research Director, Conditions of Violence and Peace, PRIO.
2019–: Research Professor, Conditions of Violence and Peace, PRIO.
2019–2020: Visiting Researcher at the Center for International Development & Conflict Management, University of Maryland.
2019–: Deputy Editor, Journal of Peace Research.
2017–2019 : Editor-in-chief, Journal of Peace Research.
2010–2019: Senior Researcher, Conditions of Violence and Peace, PRIO.
2015–2017: Associate Editor, Journal of Peace Research.
2010–2014: Deputy Editor, Journal of Peace Research.
2006: Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security (CRISE), University of Oxford.
2005: Book Review Editor Journal of Peace Research.
2005–2010: Phd Candidate/Research Fellow, Department of Political Science, University of Oslo
(Maternal leave April-December, 2006; September 2008-May 2009; and March-December 2012).
2005–2010: Researcher (part-time), Centre for the Study of Civil War, PRIO.
2004: Research Assistant, Centre for the Study of Civil War, PRIO.
2003–2004: Norwegian Red Cross Youth Delegate to Kenya Red Cross Society.
Education:
PhD, Political Science, University of Oslo, 2011.
Cand. Polit (equiv. MA), Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 2003.
Cand.Mag (equiv. to B.A), NTNU and Universidad de Granada (Spain), 2001 in the areas of Political Science, English, Media Science and Psychology.
Latest publications
All publications
Returning to School or Dropping Out after the COVID-19 Closure? Survey Evidence from Rohingya Refugees and Host Communities in Bangladesh
PRIO Policy Brief
Access to Educational Services in Cox’s Bazar during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Use of Educational Services by ‘Rohingya Refugees’ and the Host Community
PRIO Policy Brief
'Something Is Better than Nothing': Online Learning Pursuits of Rohingya Youth and Teachers in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Report - Other
What Can We Learn from Refugee-Led Education in Kenya?
PRIO Policy Brief
Children Affected by Armed Conflict, 1990–2021
Conflict Trends
Horizontal inequalities, political violence, and nonviolent conflict mobilization: A review of the literature
Journal Article in Journal of Economic Surveys
Children at Risk of Being Recruited by Armed Groups, 1990–2020
Journal Article in Children & Society
War and Food Insecurity: New Survey Evidence from Ukraine.
Popular Article in Political Violence at a Glance
What happens to childhood vaccine rates in conflict zones? This analysis found some surprises
Popular Article in Monkey Cage at the Washington Post
No right to read: National regulatory restrictions on refugee rights to formal education in low- and middle-income host countries
Journal Article in International Journal of Educational Development
Latest news
All news
PRIO Data Reveals One in Six Children Live in a Conflict Zone
This week Save the Children launched its new report Stop the War on Children: The Forgotten Ones. The report is based on PRIO's annual mapping of children in armed conflict.
Fulbright Article Prize 2022 Awarded to Gudrun Østby
The Fulbright Alumni Association Norway (FAAN) has by scholarly committee awarded Gudrun the Fulbright Article Prize for 2022.
Open Call for 2024 Special Issue of Journal of Peace Research
Every year, JPR publishes special issues on topics of high relevance to the field of peace research, and we are now soliciting proposals for the 2024 special issue. We welcome issues on topics that significantly advance the research frontier of the field, with a focus on causes and consequences of violence, conflict prevention and resolution, and nonviolent action.
Record Number of Children at Risk of Being Recruited by Armed Actors
Today, Save the Children launched its new report Stop the War on Children: A crisis of recruitment. The report is based on a new mapping of children at risk of being recruited or used in armed conflict conducted at PRIO, as well an update of the yearly estimation of children living in conflict zones. The findings are alarming. In 2020, approximately 337 million children, or more than 1 in 8 children, were living in a conflict zone in which one or more actors recruited children. This is the highest recorded number of children at risk of being recruited by armed actors.
Syria and Yemen Top Statistic on Number of Children at Risk of Recruitment by Armed Actors
Save the Children's report Stop the War on Children: A crisis of recruitment shows that, in 2020, almost all children in Syria and Yemen were at risk of recruitment by armed actors.
PRIO Researchers Contribute to Master’s Course on Gender, Peace and Security at UiO
The PRIO GPS Centre contributes to a new course on Gender, Peace and Conflic at the Centre for Gender Research (STK) at the University of Oslo, taking place for the first time this autumn. Professor Inger Skjelsbæk (PRIO and UiO) is the course leader. This autumn Wenche Hauge, Senior Researcher at PRIO, has given the students a lecture on peacebuilding and Torunn L. Tryggestad, Director of the PRIO GPS Centre, has given a lecture on UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
Gudrun Østby New Research Director
Gudrun Østby will be the Research Director of the research department Conditions of Violence and Peace from 1 August.
Gudrun Østby is a Research Professor at PRIO. She is Deputy Editor of the Journal of Peace Research, of which she has also been Editor-in-Chief. She has been at PRIO in different capacities since 2004, with a PhD in political science from the University of Oslo (2011).
Gudrun will be succeeding Siri Aas Rustad.
Congratulations to Gudrun!
1 of 6 Children Living in Conflict Zones at Risk of Sexual Violence by Armed Groups
PRIO has conducted a study for Save the Children estimating the number of children at risk of experiencing wartime sexual violence. A staggering 72 million children—17% of the 426 million children living in conflict areas globally, or 1 in 6—are living near armed groups that have been reported to perpetrate sexual violence against children.
Sirianne Dahlum Joins Young Academy of Norway
Journal of Peace Research, Security Dialogue: Improved Rankings
Security Dialogue (SD) and the Journal of Peace Research (JPR) remain in the top quartile of journal rankings.
Clarivate's Journal Citation Reports (previously Web of Science/Thomson Reuter's) show the journals' two-year Impact Factor (IF). This is the most commonly used metric of journal influence measuring the average number of citations to articles published in the last two volumes.
Latest events
All events
Education for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Community Initiatives, Humanitarian Aid and the Impact of COVID-19
Improving Education for Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh
Women, Peace and Security Research Workshop
Fake News and Fact Resistance
Armed Conflict, Maternal- and Child Health, and the Impact of Development Aid in sub-Saharan Africa
Armed Conflict and Maternal Health
PhD Course: Gender, Peace and Security
Research Network on Gender, Peace and Security
Gender and Conflict Research
Political Institutions and Conflict Resolution
Current projects
All projects
The Crime-Reducing Effect of Education: Disaggregating Education and Impact on Violent Crime (CREED)
Education and Displacement: An Impact Evaluation of an Accelerated Education Programme in Uganda
Children in Conflict: Basic Mapping
Latest blog posts
All blog posts
Fewer Children Affected by Conflict, but Conflict Intensity Is on the Rise
2021 – A Bad Year for World Peace
War and Food Insecurity: New Survey Evidence from Ukraine
Украинские женщины участвуют в сопротивлении и должны участвовать в мирных переговорах: новые данные опросов
Українські жінки беруть участь в опорі і мають брати участь у мирних перемовинах: результати нового опитування
Ukrainian Women Engage in Resistance and Should Be in the Peace Talks: New Survey Evidence
What Happens to Childhood Vaccine Rates in Conflict Zones? This Analysis Found Some Surprises
1 in 8 Children Are at Risk of Being Recruited by Armed Actors
Protection of Education in Conflict Zones – a Step in the Right Direction
72 Million Children Are at Risk for Sexual Violence in Conflict. What Can Be Done?
