I am a senior researcher in the Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich and a Principal Investigator at ETH Zurich. I study when and why actors cooperate or use violence, combining bargaining theory with formal models, computational methods, and qualitative research.

I am particularly interested in how satellite data can support both conflict research and humanitarian action. I collaborate closely with experts in computer science, remote sensing, and the humanitarian sector. I serve as Principal Investigator (together with Jan Dirk Wegner) of the Deep Learning-based Mapping of Conflict project, an interdisciplinary initiative with the International Committee of the Red Cross that aims to improve the detection of war-related damage in open-access satellite imagery. I previously co-led the Remote Monitoring of Armed Conflicts, and I collaborate on research using satellite-based nighttime light data as a proxy for identifying humanitarian crises. 

Before joining the University of Zurich, I was based at ETH Zurich, Johns Hopkins University, AI Singapore, and Leiden University, where I examined the role of emerging technologies and ceasefires in peace processes.

I have received several awards for my research, including the 2024 Impact Award of the Department of Political Science at the University of Zurich, the 2022 Young Scholar Award (best article) of the Swiss Political Science Association, and the 2021 Cedric Smith Prize of the Conflict Research Society. My research has been published in top interdisciplinary journals, including as first author in Nature, and in leading journals of my field, including International Studies Quarterly, International Studies Review, and the Journal of Peace Research. My research has been featured in Swiss and international media, including the New York Times Magazine, The Economist, and Nature News and Views. I serve on the Council of the Conflict Research Society and am chairing its Emerging Scholars Initiative.

Before entering academia, I served in various practitioner roles, including as senior program officer in the mediation support team at the Center for Security Studies and as political affairs officer for the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. 

Outside of my professional life, I love spending time with my partner and our two kids, drinking coffee or a beer with friends, traveling, cycling through the city of Zurich, or taking a swim in the Limmat river.