Julia Watson serves as the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow in FCNL’s Peacebuilding Program. She works with Allyson Neville-Morgan and Theo Sitther to conduct research and provide policy analysis related to the prevention of violent conflict and protection of civilians.
Julia supports the efforts of the Prevention and Protection Working Group, including the convening of a high-level Experts Committee on the Prevention of Mass Violence that will outline tangible policy recommendations for the next President to better advance peace and prevent the outbreak of violence. She also assists with FCNL’s work on security assistance.
Before becoming a Scoville Fellow, Julia graduated from Northwestern University in June of 2015 with a BA in Political Science and Middle East Studies, concentrating in Conflict Studies. Her undergraduate research examined the integration of civil, political, and military lines of effort during conflict stabilization and critiqued the establishment of legitimacy during interventions. She served as a Learning & Evaluation intern at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict Stabilization Operations, an independent researcher on the Vietnam War at the National Archives and Records Administration, a research assistant for Dr. Ana Arjona’s work on wartime social order, and a legislative intern for Massachusetts State Representative David Linsky.
Active in community organizing and political activism since high school, Julia represented 8,000 undergraduates serving as the President of Associated Student Government (ASG) at Northwestern. Pivoting the organization to center on social justice, ASG focused on improving the University’s socioeconomic accessibility; combatting institutional racism within higher education; reforming Title IX and sexual assault policies and procedures; and addressing structural issues linked to students’ mental health and general well being. Julia is originally from Sherborn, Massachusetts.
jwatson@fcnl.org
