Nicholas Sherwood

Dr. Nicholas (Nick) Sherwood is a peace psychologist and expert in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in conflict zones, resilience and wellbeing within peacebuilding practitioners and conflict-impacted populations, peri-/post-conflict reconciliation, and qualitative/participatory action research methodologies.

Nick successfully defended his doctoral thesis in the fall of 2023 at the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. His thesis centered on a participatory action research project he directed at GMU’s Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation (MHCR), featuring in-depth interviews with over 40 ‘insider-partials’ supporting reconciliation processes across 21 countries and four continents. He is currently completing his book project on this research, tentatively titled Building Peace for the Peacebuilders. In this book, Nick psychologically profiles these individuals to understand their remarkable capabilities to locate, mobilize, and build resilience in response to the significant psychological challenges associated with living and working in zones of violent conflict. In addition to theoretical and methodological implications, Nick outlines specific, actionable recommendations for peacebuilding institutions to support these front-line heroes and preemptive steps peacebuilders can take to be healthier, happier, safer, and more sustainable in their work and lives. 

In a wide-ranging discussion, Nick discusses his dissertation research and related topics in the series Critical Dialogues on Reconciliation, facilitated by Dr. Andrei Gomez-Suarez (Senior Research Fellow, Centre of Religion, Reconciliation and Peace, University of Winchester). You can watch the full recording here: Insider Reconcilers and Well-Being. This event was sponsored by Rodeemos el Diálogo, the University of Winchester, and the Oxford University Peace Steering Committee. 

Beyond his research program, since 2017, Nick has mentored over 25 students (graduate and undergraduate) as they transition into the workforce or graduate study in top-tier programs. Nick’s mentees are engaged in diverse areas of scholarship and practice, such as peacebuilding, psychology, human rights, public administration, nonprofit management, international relations, social justice, global health, public policy, social work, international development, biomedicine, fine arts, and public relations. Nick’s mentorship style is individualized and heavily grounded in wellbeing-promotion; he seeks to train younger students and professionals how to flourish as human beings while making a difference in the communities and broader world around them. At the Carter School, he has also developed new graduate curricula based on his expertise in mental health and peacebuilding, creating and co-teaching courses such as Well-being and Peacebuilding and Becoming Insider Reconcilers. He has assisted with graduate courses such as Ethics of Intervention & Conflict Resolution Practice; World Religions, Diplomacy, and Conflict Resolution; Doctoral Qualitative Research Methods; and Grounded Theory Analysis. 

In addition to his work in the academy, Nick is a seasoned practitioner and has conducted mental health and peacebuilding programs in the US (especially the Southeast region), the Middle East/North Africa, and East Africa. For several years, Nick served on the inaugural Board of Directors of a non-profit organization he and his friends co-founded called The Parachute People, where he facilitated resilience-building workshops and training for hundreds of individuals at music festivals and live music events throughout the United States. Nick also ‘moonlights’ in the music industry by upscaling the reach and impact of over 20 US-based nonprofit organizations at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival (and has attended every ‘Roo since 2013) within his capacity as a producer for Bonnaroo Works Fund. Before charting his path in mental health and peacebuilding research and practice, Nick was in the service industry, working late nights and early mornings in sticky dive bars (including one that Willie Nelson used to frequent), hipster espresso cafes, and hippie farmer’s markets. 

Nick holds a Ph.D. in conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University, an M.A. in anthropology of peace and human rights from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and a B.A. in psychology and political science from Christopher Newport University. He has additionally held various research and practice fellowships at organizations such as the Sparkman Center for Global Health, War Child USA, and the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation, where he also served as the associate director for over two years during his Ph.D. program. More information about his expertise and background can be found in his CV here.

Nick is always eager to connect with other scholars, practitioners, and students who share his vision and values on LinkedIn! 

Affiliations

• Visiting Scholar, the Carter School (2023-2024) 
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Expert Advisor, MHCR 
• Producing Partner, Bonnaroo Works Fund at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival 
• Wellbeing Expert Advisor, The Parachute People 
• Research Associate, Institute for Human Rights at the University of Alabama at Birmingham 

At the Carter School, Dr. Sherwood also serves as the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Expert Advisor at the Mary Hoch Center for Reconciliation, where he has worked in various capacities since 2020. He is also an affiliated researcher with the Reconciling Conflicts and Intergroup Divisions Lab and the Transforming the Mind Lab.