Larissa Fast

Larissa Fast is Professor of Humanitarian and Conflict Studies and Executive Director of the Humanitarian and Conflict Research Institute at the University of Manchester.

Fast is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of the worlds of academia, policy, and practice. Her research addresses two fundamental problems: how best to protect civilians, particularly those who intervene in violent conflict, and how to make such intervention more effective, ethical, and responsive to local needs and circumstances. In addition to her monograph Aid in Danger: The Perils and Promise of Humanitarianism (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2014), she has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and policy reports. She is Principal Investigator of the Researching the Impact of Attacks on Healthcare (RIAH) project (2019-2023). Her research has been funded by the UK FCDO, Research Council of Norway, the Wellcome Trust, US Agency for International Development, US Institute of Peace, and the Swiss Development Corporation.