Lord John Alderdice Elected to Honorary Fellowship at Pembroke College

We are delighted to announce that Lord John Alderdice has been elected to an Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his distinguished political and academic career.

John Alderdice is a Northern Irish politician who was Leader of Northern Ireland's cross-community Alliance Party from 1987 to 1998, and since 1996 has sat in the House of Lords. He is currently Executive Chairman of the Changing Character of War Centre, an interdisciplinary research centre based at Pembroke for the study of change in armed conflict.

“I am deeply appreciative of the honour that Pembroke has done me by welcoming me into the College community,” Lord Alderdice shared. “It is my hope that I can continue to contribute to the life of the College, particularly in providing support and mentoring to any who have an interest in the politics of violent conflict, the creation and functioning of government, or the psychology of religion. 

“From working with the Changing Character of War Centre and the Quill Project, I am very much aware of Pembroke’s distinguished history and lively multi-disciplinary environment. It will be my privilege to make any contributions that I can within the College and to make external connections with my network of colleagues and institutions elsewhere. I know that I will be intellectually nourished here in Pembroke, and I am excited to be part of this historic academic community.”

One of the negotiators of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and then first Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Lord Alderdice was appointed one of four international commissioners overseeing security normalization in Ireland in 2003. He has served as President of Liberal International (the global family of Liberal political parties), Chair of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords during the Coalition Government, and in addition to his work at Pembroke College, he is a Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College and Professor of Practice at the University of Wales Trinity St David. He writes and speaks on the psychology of fundamentalism and political violence and has received many honorary doctorates and international awards including the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists.