People
Professor
Postdocs
PhD Students
Alumni
Dr. Ronja Sczepanski was a postdoctoral researcher at the European politics group as a part of the ERC project Rebordering Europe: Boundary Formation in the European Union (EUROBORD). She now works at Sciences Po Paris as an assistant professor in the field of "Democratic Tensions in the EU".
Dr. Natasha Wunsch was a Senior Researcher in the European Politics Group and Principal Investigator on the Ambizione project “Democratic Backsliding in Eastern Europe: Sequence, Strategies, Citizens,” funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. She completed her doctorate at University College London in 2016, and holds M.A. degrees from Free University Berlin and Sciences Po Paris. Natasha’s research interests are at the intersection of European Politics and comparative democratisation, with a particular focus on the Post-Communist region. She is interested in how EU integration shapes the political transformation processes of aspiring member states and which other domestic and external factors favour or prevent democratic deconsolidation. Natasha has published her research, among others, in the Journal of European Public Policy, the Journal of Common Market Studies, Acta Politica, and East European Politics. Her first monograph, EU Enlargement and Civil Society in the Western Balkans: From Mobilisation to Empowerment (2018), was published with Palgrave’s Series in European Union Politics.
Marc Jacob was a PhD candidate in the European Politics Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS). His research was embedded in the SNF-Ambizione Project “Democratic Backsliding in Eastern Europe: Sequence, Strategies, Citizens” headed by Dr Natasha Wunsch. Previously, Marc studied Political Science and Study of Religion in Leipzig, Berlin, and Edinburgh. Currently, Marc’s research is focusing on the role of citizens in democratic backsliding.
external page www.marc-s-jacob.com
Nicole Olszewska was a PhD candidate in the European Politics Research Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies. Her PhD thesis was embedded in the SNF funded project on “Constructing Europe`s borders” where she focused on the transformation of the political discourses on Europe`s borders and EU membership. Nicole was analyzing parliamentary debates in Germany, Switzerland and Poland using discursive social network analysis.
Ioannis Vergioglou was a PhD candidate in the European Politics Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies. He obtained his Master’s Degree from ETH Zurich with the support of the ETHZ Foundation full Excellence Scholarship (ESOP). Prior to joining ETH, Ioannis studied Political Science at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and European Politics at Maastricht University. During his graduate studies he worked as a student research assistant in the EUP Group and during his undergraduate studies, he completed internships at the European Green Partly Headquarters in Brussels and the Directorate General for Development programming in Central Greece. His research focused on the political and economic effects of redistribution policy as well as the effects of differentiated integration in the European Union.
Alper Baysan was a PhD candidate with the European Politics Group (EUP) since March 2018. He obtained his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Bielefeld (2011), his M.A. in Political Science from Sabanci University Istanbul (2013), and a second M.A. in Comparative and International Studies from ETH Zurich (2015).
Marie-Eve Bélanger was a post-doctoral researcher in the European Politics Group at the Centre for Comparative and International Studies. She completed her doctorate at the University of Ottawa in 2014, and holds a M.A degree from the Institute of High European Studies of Strasbourg.
Dominik Schraff was a senior scientist and SNSF Ambizione Fellow in the European Politics Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies. Dominik obtained his doctorate in 2017 from the University of St. Gallen, having previously studied at the University College London and the University of Mannheim. For more information see Dominik's personal website: external page www.dominikschraff.com
Lina Liu completed her PhD studies at the Center for Comparative and International Studies in July 2020. She has a background in Political Science and International Studies and holds an MA in Diplomacy from Renmin University of China. Her PhD project focused on the broad topic interaction of China with the world and the specific topic of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Her research interests include China foreign policies, EU-China relations, and international development.
Julian Dederke was a PhD student in the European Politics Group. He completed his PhD at the Center for Comparative and International Studies in February 2020. During his PhD studies, Julian Dederke was a visiting researcher at the University of Oslo and the University of Copenhagen. He has a background in Political Science and EU Law and holds an MSc degree in European Studies from the University of Gothenburg.
Reini Schrama completed her PhD studies at the Center for Comparative and International Studies in July 2017. She has a background in Sociology and holds an MA in both Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, and International relations from the University of Utrecht and the University of Antwerp. During her studies she focused on decentralised social policy-making and on the conditions of welfare policy on a European level. Her thesis on the mechanisms of non-compliance with EU directives was awarded the Peter G. Swanborn Bachelor's Prize in the Social Sciences.
Densua Mumford joined the European Politics Group from January to December 2017 as a visiting doctoral student. She completed her DPhil in International Relations at the University of Oxford in 2018. Densua has a Bachelors degree in Politics from the University of Nottingham, UK and a Masters in International Relations, jointly awarded by the University of Bremen and Jacobs University Bremen, Germany.
Jofre Rocabert completed his PhD at the Center for Comparative and International Studies in September 2018. Before joining the EUP group, he studied at Pompeu Fabra University and the University of Konstanz. At ETH, he worked in the framework of the NCCR ‘Challenges to Democracy in the 21st Century’, concentrating on the politics of international organizations and parliaments. His research interests include the legitimacy of international authority and the politicization of European integration.
Thomas Winzen was a doctoral student, post-doc and senior researcher in the European Politics Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies at the ETH Zurich from 2010 until January 2017, before he joined the University of Mannheim as Associate Professor of Political Science in February 2017.
You can find more information about Thomas at external page thomaswinzen.wordpress.com
Cansarp Kaya completed his PhD at the Center for Comparative and International Studies in December 2016. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Management from Bogazici University in Istanbul, Turkey, and received a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Mannheim, Germany in 2013. In his diploma thesis, he investigated the role of the signals sent by the EU member states on the reform process of the candidate states.
Jørgen Bølstad was a Post-Doctoral Researcher and Lecturer in the European Politics Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) at the ETH Zurich from 2011 until 2016.
Asya Zhelyazkova was a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the European Politics Group at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS) at the ETH Zurich from 2011 until 2016. She is currently working as a senior research fellow and lecturer at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
You can find more information about her at external page https://asyazhelyazkovasite.wordpress.com/ and external page http://www.ru.nl/personen/zhelyazkova-a/
Christoph Elhardt completed his PhD at the EUP in 2015. His dissertation analyzed the emergence, institutional design and crisis of the Eurozone, with a focus on the role of trust between governments and financial markets.
Thomas Schäubli joined the Chair of European Politics as a PhD student in November 2010. His research focus lies in international and European monetary politics and differentiated integration in the European Union. He received his PhD from ETH Zurich in early 2016 with a dissertation on the extent and development of differentiation in the European Union.
Tina Freyburg completed her PhD at the Center for International Studies (CIS) at the ETH Zurich in 2011, and was a post-doctoral researcher in the EUP research group until 2013.
Rebecca Welge completed her dissertation ‘Democratic Citizenship in Multilevel Systems: Normative standards and the Outcome of Political Membership and Rights in the European Union’ at the Center for International Studies (CIS) at the ETH Zurich in 2013.
Between 2009 and 2012, Lilla Balázs took part in a research project funded by the SNF on the adoption and sustainability of minority protection rules in East Central Europe. In June 2012 she defended her thesis on 'Minority Rights Protection beyond EU Conditionality: Legislative Developments and Implementation'.
James P. Cross was a post doctoral researcher in the EUP research group from 2011 to 2012, and still currently collaborates with members of the EUP group on projects regarding decision-making in the Council of Ministers.
Thomas Jensen completed his PhD from the Center of Comparison and International Studies in 2012.
Flavia Jurje received her PhD from ETH Zurich in November 2010, with a thesis on ‘Europeanization of the Polity and Politics in a New Member State: Institutions, Domestic Power Constellation, and Conflict in the Decision-Making Process’.
Edina Szöcsik took part in the the postgraduate program: 'Civil society and external democratization in postsocialist Europe' between 2008 and 2012. She defended her PhD thesis: 'Ethnic Minority Parties in Political Competition' at the ETH Zurich in July 2012.
In her doctoral studies at CIS, Danijela Dolenec focused on comparative politics of post-communism, the politics of EU enlargement, institutionalist theories as well as social science methodology and research methods. She received her PhD from ETH Zurich in December 2011 with a dissertation entitled: 'Power to Prey: Obstacles to Democratization in Southeastern Europe'.
Liudmila Mikalayeva was a member of the European Politics group from 2006 to 2011, and participated in the SNF-funded research project on national minority policy in the CEE, together with Guido Schwellnus and Lilla Balazs. She defended her thesis on the "Discursive Dimension of Compliance" in September 2011.
Guido Schwellnus worked as Senior Researcher on the European Politics team of the Center for Comparative and International Studies from 2005 to 2011. Together with Frank Schimmelfennig he directed an SNF-funded project on the sustainability of minority protection rules in all ten new EU member states from Central and Eastern Europe.
Robin Hertz successfully defended his PhD: 'Still Pedaling? The Impact of Eastern Enlargement on European Union Decisionmaking' in September 2010. He worked in the SNF-funded research project, "Goup-Size and Decision-Making in the European Union" up until 2011.
Dirk Leuffen worked as Senior Researcher in the European Politics team of the Center for Comparative and International Studies from 2005 to 2010. Together with Frank Schimmelfennig, he directed an SNF-funded project on the effects of enlargement on decision-making in the European Union.
Tatiana Skripka received her Ph.D. from ETH Zurich in 2010 with a dissertation on: 'The European Union and Its Neighbourhood: The Promotion of Democracy and Regional Cooperation'.
Anne Wetzel received her PhD from ETH Zurich in 2010, with a thesis on: ‘The European Union and Democratic Governance Promotion: Effectiveness, Consistency and Impact on the EU Acquis’.