​Alan Boswell has worked in East Africa since 2009. Prior to joining Crisis Group in 2018, he served as a formal adviser and researcher for several organizations, including the United Nations, USAID, US Institute of Peace, European Institute of Peace, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and World Peace Foundation. He published conflict research through the Small Arms Survey and was an associate of the Conflict Research Programme at the London School of Economics.​