Ingrid Marie Breidlid wis a PhD fellow at the Centre for the Study of Civil War. She was a part of the project 'The Dynamics of State Failure and Violence', led by Øystein Rolandsen. Her doctoral sub-project explored the interaction between agency and structure in relation to the role of youth, collective identities, and state-society relations in the dynamics of violence in South Sudan.

Breidli previously worked at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. During her employment with NUPI, Breidlid conducted research and published on issues related to post-conflict violence, protection of civilians, international peacekeeping and peacebuilding in Africa, with a specific focus on South Sudan. She holds an MSc in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.