Dr. Sahla Aroussi is an Associate Professor in Gender and Global Security Challenges at the University of Leeds, where she leads innovative research at the intersection of gender, violence, and international security. A feminist scholar with a strong commitment to social justice, Dr. Aroussi is internationally recognized for her pioneering work on gender-based violence (GBV), particularly in conflict and post-conflict settings. Her research is distinguished by its interdisciplinary and participatory nature, with a strong emphasis on arts-based and co-creative methodologies. Dr. Aroussi is internationally recognized for her innovative use of body mapping as a research method. In a landmark study conducted in Mombasa, Kenya, she led body mapping workshops with Muslim men and women from communities affected by violent extremism. This project, conducted in collaboration with Art2Be and local artists and researchers, used body mapping as a form of embodied storytelling to explore how individuals experience, understand, and resist violent extremism in their everyday lives. The method enabled participants to visually and viscerally express personal narratives of violence, exclusion, and resistance—stories often overlooked by state-centric security frameworks. Her work in Kenya demonstrated the transformative potential of body mapping to foster healing, amplify marginalized voices, and challenge dominant narratives. It also highlighted the method’s capacity to transcend linguistic and educational barriers, making it a powerful tool for inclusive, community-based research and advocacy. Dr. Aroussi is currently leading Project INCLUDE, an AHRC-funded initiative using arts-based methods which explores GBV against women with disabilities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. In this project, Dr. Aroussi alongside Do David Duriesmith (Sheffield University), Dr Lisa LeRoux (University of Stellenbosch), Professor Jill Hanass-Hancock, Dr Pinky Mahlangu, and Thakasile Ndolvu (Medical Research Council South Africa) have employed research methods such as body mapping, Photovoice, Clay, and Rivers of Life to center the voices and lived experiences of marginalized communities, especially women with disabilities and survivors of GBV.