Dr Sebastian Paalo is a Lecturer in the Department of History and Political Studies at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. He holds a PhD in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Queensland, Australia, and specialises in governance, peace and conflict, and international relations, with strong engagement in policy-relevant and interdisciplinary research.

Research Interest Areas

His research interests include peacebuilding and conflict resolution, hybrid governance and political authority, democracy and electoral politics, feminist and grassroots peace studies, politics of natural resource and energy governance, regionalism and international organisations, and the political economy of security and development in Africa.

Academic and Policy Publications

Dr Paalo has an extensive publication record in leading peer-reviewed journals such as Intervention and Statebuilding, Peacebuilding, African Studies, International Politics, Nations and Nationalism, Global Society, Contemporary Politics, Women’s Studies International Forum, and African Security Review. He has contributed chapters to edited volumes published by SUNY Press, Springer, Oxford University Press, and the United Nations University Press. His policy-oriented outputs appear on platforms such as Chatham House, the Social Science Research Council’s Kujenga Amani, and The Conversation, reflecting a sustained commitment to bridging academic research and policy practice.

Current Research Focus

His current research focuses on women’s authority and agency in peacebuilding, hybrid political orders, energy transition and resource-related conflicts, and emerging regional security architectures in West Africa, with particular attention to historically grounded and locally embedded governance institutions.

Previous and Current Research Projects

Dr Paalo has led and collaborated on research projects funded through the International Peace Research Association Foundation (IPRAF), the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY), University College London, University of Florida, Chatham House, and the KNUST Research Fund. These projects address Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), the politics of bottom-up development and Affirmative action, lithium mining governance, forest governance, and the political economy of the West African Power Pool.

Reviews of Grants and Journals

He regularly serves as a peer reviewer for international journals, including African Affairs, Third World Quarterly, and African Security Review. He also reviews grant applications for the International Peace Research Association Foundation and the KNUST Research Fund, and is currently a guest editor of a special issue for African Security. 

Leadership, Service, and Policy Experience

Dr Paalo is a Board Member of the International Peace Research Association Foundation (IPRAF) and a Council Member of the International Peace Research Association. He is also a Member of the Africa Peace Research and Education Association (AFPREA). He serves as Assistant Director for Research at the Institute for Research and Policy Integration in Africa and as a Fellow at the Brew-Hammond Energy Centre, KNUST. Additionally, he co-founded Sankofa Analytics and Democracy Without Borders–Ghana and has worked closely with Ghana’s National Peace Council on peacebuilding and governance initiatives.