Elise Boyle Espinosa
Dr Elise Boyle Espinosa has an interdisciplinary academic background in international studies, global development, and education. She currently works at the School of Political Science and International Studies, University of Queensland, following over a decade living abroad.
Her research has primarily concerned education and politics in conflict-affected areas, including the role of education in rebel governance and political community. This includes research and fieldwork on the role of education in the ‘Rojava Revolution’ in North and East Syria, and her PhD thesis, ‘Diversity of Destinies’: The Impact of Islamic State on Higher Education in Eastern Syria. Elise has published in Third World Quarterly along with multiple media outlets, including The Conversation, ROAR magazine, and Green Left.
Parallel to her teaching and research, she has been involved in activism related to minority and refugee rights, and environmental and social justice, and in 2025 she was part of the first Australian political delegation to the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, along with Greens Senator David Shoebridge, Greens Inner West Councillor Ismet Tastan, and Kurdish community activist Baran Sogut.
She also has a background in media and communications and work experience in the humanitarian sector, including the Danish Refugee Council in Copenhagen and the Amy Foundation in Cape Town.
