About
- Political scientist with 9+ years work experience in conflict and nationalism research
- Multiple years of experience in leadership of research and data projects (up to 12 employees)
- Communication with diverse target audiences: funding agencies (1.5 million CHF+ secured research funds), practitioners (recent presentation at Austrian parliament + regular workshops with conflict practitioners at University College London), subject matter experts (~30 presentations at international conferences and 11 published articles), students (in 6 different courses), and refugees (3 years' work)
- Regional expertise on former Soviet Union (3 scientific publications) and East Asia (studies in Sinology and Chinese, 12 months spent in China)
Employment
Formal employment affiliations over time.
Education
Educational affiliations, including degrees and programs.
Research
My research examines how identity politics and institutional design shape violent conflict, democratic stability, and geopolitical risk. My ongoing work focuses on two major sources of instability in contemporary world politics: the management of identity-based conflict within states and the rise of exclusionary nationalism with implications for regional order and geopolitics.
Across my research, I evaluate policies that are widely used to stabilize divided societies — such as constitutional power-sharing, decentralization, and multicultural governance — examining both their intended effects and their unintended consequences. This work speaks directly to core questions in international relations and conflict research: how domestic institutions affect internal security and democratic quality, how nationalist ideologies travel across borders, and how identity politics interacts with geopolitical competition.
View all researchData and Methods
A central contribution of my research is the development of new global datasets on nationalism, institutions, and conflict. These include data on constitutional power-sharing arrangements, regional autonomy, nationalist movements, administrative boundaries, and ethnically disaggregated public opinion. Together, these resources enable systematic cross-national analysis of political instability and security risks.
Methodologically, I specialize in quantitative causal inference using large-N observational data, including fixed-effects designs, instrumental variables, and staggered difference-in-differences. I complement these approaches with survey analysis and case-based process tracing. Alongside my PhD in political science, I hold a second master’s degree in analytics/data science, which supports my work in data engineering, large-scale data integration, and applied statistical modeling.
View all datasets and data infrastructurePublic Engagement
I engage with researchers and the broader public through invited talks, conference presentations, media appearances, teaching, and organized workshops. Invited talks have brought me to policy audiences at the Austrian Parliament and the United Nations–ETH Forum, and to academic settings at ETH Zurich, the University of Fribourg, and ECMI.
Media contributions include radio interviews (SRF 4), magazine features (ETH Globe, Swissinfo), and policy blogs. I have taught at ETH Zurich, University College London, the University of Zurich, and the University of Fribourg, and have co-organized workshops for doctoral researchers.
View all public engagement