I'm a political scientist with a specialization in the field of International Relations. The core focus of my research is on international organizations, human rights and peace operations.

Since 2017, I am Assistant Professor for International Relations at the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University.

Previously, I was Assistant Professor (Junior Professor) for Global Governance and Humanitarian Action at the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Between 2015 and 2017, I was a Max Weber postdoctoral fellow at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. From 2010-2015, I worked as a research fellow at the Berlin Social Science Research Center (WZB).

I hold a PhD (Dr. phil.) from the Free University Berlin, where I was a research associate at the Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies.

 

Research project: "Multilateralism under attack"

In this two-year project, funded by the German "Fritz Thyssen" Foundation, I study how international organizations react to member states cutting the budget, withdrawing their membership or systematically not complying with core norms. For further information see "Research&Projects".

Parts of this research was conducted during my 2020 fellowship at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University.

 

Book: "Accountability in Global Governance" (OUP 2020)



In this book, published by Oxford University Press, I analyze the conditions for accountability in global governance, in particular regarding human rights violations that have been committed by international organizations or their implementing partners. In particular, I focus on pluralist accountability, an accountability form that involves third parties as accountability holders, in three fields of global governance, namely peace and security, global health governance and economic governance. 

 

Main research areas:

International Relations, legitimacy of international organizations, institutional change, organizational learning, multilateral peacekeeping and human rights

 

I am also a professional violinist with a degree from the Hamburg School of Music and Theater. For further information click here.