A Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords since 1996, Lord Alderdice is a member of the Select Committee of the House of Lords on International Relations and Defence. He is also the UK Government’s Trade Envoy to Azerbaijan and Central Asia.

As leader of the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, Alderdice played a significant role in the talks on Northern Ireland, including negotiation of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and was appointed the first Speaker of the new Northern Ireland Assembly. Formerly a consultant psychiatrist and senior lecturer in Psychotherapy at Queen’s University Belfast, Alderdice is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. His research interests include the individual and group psychology of violent political conflict and the psychology of religious fundamentalism. He travels extensively to speak, consult, negotiate, and work on the resolution of violent political conflict in various parts of the world, with a particular focus on the Middle East. We are delighted that Lord Alderdice, following his retirement from the Centre for Democracy and Peace Board of Directors, has accepted the honorary role of Chairman Emeritus and will continue to provide valuable strategic advice and guidance to the Centre.