Warmest wishes to all our leavers – and stay connected!

As the end of the Trinity Term edges ever closer, we wish all of our leavers all the best for their future endeavours and invite you to keep in touch!

We would love to hear all of your updates and celebrate all your achievements so please do stay connected with us by using MyOxford, a new and more streamlined platform for alumni.

We cast the spotlight on one of ours leavers and celebrate Alejandro Posada-Tellez, who has completed his DPhil in International Relations, focusing on war-to-peace transitions, victimhood, and transitional justice.

Now back in Colombia, we asked Alejandro about his future plans: 

I recently returned to my home country of Colombia, where I work in applied research supporting dialogue-based initiatives and peace policy implementation. I am also involved in policy and research projects in the South Pacific and Syria. In the years to come, I hope to consolidate a career as a peacebuilding scholar-practitioner, building on my training at Oxford and my work with victims, former combatants, and communities directly affected by violence. Wherever my career takes me, I want my work to help make peacebuilding policy and practice more responsive to the needs and experiences of those who have lived - and are living - through armed conflict.

Tell us about your DPhil research: 

My DPhil explored the stories conflict-affected societies tell about their violent past. It argued that those stories give shape to the kind of peace they are able to build and the post-war future they can imagine. Drawing on the experiences of Colombia and Sri Lanka, I showed how narratives of victimhood were constructed in and through transitional justice, and how these narratives helped organise power relations and peacebuilding processes during and after war.

A memory I’ll always keep from my time at DPIR is: 

The way it felt to walk into a seminar room. Whether it was a modern, brutalist room in Manor Road Building or a breathtaking 800-year-old college room where generations of students and scholars had learnt and taught before me, I will never forget the excitement, anticipation and possibility that came with walking into any departmental event. It was a joy and privilege to study at DPIR, surrounded by students and faculty so passionate about the questions they worked on, and by such a wealth of knowledge and experience that daily brought Oxford's intellectual vibrancy to life.

And, what’s your advice to future DPIR students:

• “One thing I wish I knew was...": that nobody has it all quite figured out, no matter how confident they seem. Trust your ability to learn new things; you’ll be just fine.
• “Say yes to...": thinking beyond your research project. It is easy for your topic to absorb you, but some of the most important things I learnt for my DPhil came from listening to and engaging with people outside my immediate field.
• “Make the most of...”: the support available to you in both your college and department. Whether it is personal or academic, do not be afraid to ask for help. Oh, and make the most of the free coffee and food too!