Patricia A. Maulden is an Associate Professor of Conflict Resolution and Director of the Dialogue and Difference Project with The Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz and her Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University. Her research interests include generational and gendered dynamics of conflict and peace, social militarization / demilitarization processes, urbanization, post-conflict peace economies, and peacebuilding practices. She has written about child soldiers generally as well as, more specifically, the roles of girls and women in conflict – whether as soldiers, combatants, or associates of fighting forces. She is currently investigating the dynamics of NGOs as private peacebuilding contractors and their roles in the post-conflict peace economy, the post-conflict paradox – engaging war while creating peace, and exploring peacebuilding over time, more specifically the trajectories of post-conflict knowledge.

As part of an ongoing research project she exploring community based peace education in Sierra Leone and Burundi, and, building on a recent field assessment in Liberia, organized a palaver management project bringing students to Liberia to work with local youth-focused organizations. Domestically, Dr. Maulden researches and teaches about youth gangs as well as gang-related community peacemaking programs. As a practitioner, she conducts seminars on interpersonal conflict resolution, facilitates intergenerational and interethnic dialogues, and has served as a restorative justice caseworker. As Director of the Dialogue and Difference Project at George Mason University, she plans dialogue events, trains student facilitators, and writes practice related curriculum.