Chief, Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies | Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies

Gulu University, Uganda

Biography

Dr Stella Laloyo Apecu is the Chief of the Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies and a Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies at Gulu University, Uganda. She holds a PhD in Gender Studies from Makerere University and a Master of Arts in Gender and Peace-building from the United Nations University for Peace, Costa Rica. She is a distinguished scholar with extensive expertise in gender, peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and post-conflict reconstruction.

Her research has focused on post-conflict societies across Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She has collaborated with numerous international institutions, including the University of New South Wales, the University of Cambridge, and the United Nations University for Peace, leading research initiatives, student exchange programmes, and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Areas of Expertise

• Gender Studies
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation
• Women's Rights and Gender Equality
• Land Rights and Refugee Livelihoods
• Post-conflict Reconstruction and Development

Professional Engagement

Dr Apecu is an active member of several regional and international feminist and research networks, including the National Association of Women's Organisations in Uganda (NAWOU), LandNet Uganda, Gulu Women Economic Development and Globalisation (GWED-G), the Association of African Women for Research and Development (AAWORD), and the International Center for Research on Women. She currently serves as a Postdoctoral Fellow and Work Package Lead under the Building Stronger Universities Project, researching gender, land rights, and refugee livelihoods in Northern Uganda.

Academic Contribution

She has supervised numerous postgraduate students and has made significant contributions to research, academic leadership, and international collaboration in gender and peace studies. Her scholarship continues to influence policy discussions and community-based peacebuilding initiatives across Africa.

Recent Publications

• Pamela, S. & Apecu, L. S. (2026). Unrecognised Peacebuilders: The Role of Rural Women in Conflict Transformation in Uganda's Karamoja Sub-Region.
• Okello, M. R. & Apecu, L. S. (2026). Common Ground, Shared Soil: An Evaluation of Policies and Multi-Stakeholder Interventions in Managing Refugee–Host Environmental Conflicts in Adjumani District.
• Apecu, L. S. & Zabibu, N. (2026). The Role of Parenting in the Proliferation of Street Children: Evidence from River Oli Division, Arua City, Uganda. Open Access Library Journal, 13, e14827.