Founding Director
Dr Hugo Meijer
CNRS Research Fellow — Sciences Po, Center for International Studies (CERI).
Research themes: International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, Security Studies, Alliances.
About
The People
Our Board members advise and steer the organisation, notably through thematic Working Groups (WG). A small support team handles day-to-day operations.
Board
Treasurer
Dr Marie Robin
Assistant Professor of War Studies — Leiden University.
Research themes: Revenge in international relations, Strategic use of emotions, Evolution of conflictuality, Ethics of war.
Secretary-General
Prof. Moritz Weiss
Senior Lecturer and Principal Investigator — Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Research themes: International Relations, Theorizing (informal) institutions, European integration, Governance of international security.
Board Member
Prof. Silvia D’Amato
Associate Professor — James Madison University.
Research themes: Terrorism, Political Violence and War, Peace and Justice.
Board Member
Dr Julia Carver
Assistant Professor — Leiden University.
Research themes: Foreign policymaking, Strategic concepts, Emerging digital technologies.
Board Member
Prof. Marco Wyss
Professor of International History and Security — Lancaster University; Research Fellow — Stellenbosch University; Senior Research Fellow — School of Advanced Study, University of London.
Research themes: Cold War, African and European defence, Neutrality.
Board Member
Dr Eliza Gheorghe
Assistant Professor — Department of International Relations, Bilkent University.
Research themes: International Relations Theory, International Security, Nuclear Politics.
Board Member
Prof. Marina Henke
Professor of International Relations and Director of the Centre for International Security — Hertie School.
Research themes: Intervention decision-making, Nuclear security, U.S. and European Grand Strategy.
Board Member
Dr Sanne Verschuren
Assistant Professor of International Security — Boston University.
Research themes: Domestic determinants of security policy, Role of ideas, norms, and institutions in national security decision-making.
Board Member
Prof. Revecca Pedi
Associate Professor of International Relations — University of Macedonia.
Research themes: International relations of small states, Theories of international relations, International relations and the European Union.
Board Member
Dr Chiara Libiseller
Lecturer in Strategic Studies — King’s College London.
Research themes: Knowledge production on war, Changing character of war, Impact of technology on the theory and practice of war.
Board Member
Alisa Kerschbaum
Research Grant Advisor — University of Amsterdam.
Research themes: Global affairs, International Peace & Security, Environmental security.
Board Member
Prof. Nicolas Blarel
Associate Professor of International Relations and Director of Studies — Leiden University.
Research themes: Foreign Policy Analysis, Politics of migration governance, International politics of South Asia.
Board Member
Prof. Antonio Calcara
Professor — Vrije Universiteit Brussels.
Research themes: European Security and Defence, Defence Industry, Political Economy.
Board Member
Prof. Olivier Schmitt
Head of Research — Institute for Military Operations at the Royal Danish Defence College.
Research themes: Military Operations, Alliances, Transformation.
Board Member
Prof. Chiara Ruffa
Professor of Political Science — Sciences Po, Center for International Studies (CERI).
Research themes: Multilateralism on the ground, Peacekeeping, Civil-military relations, Political sociology, Fieldwork.
Board Member
Dr Tim Sweijs
Senior Research Fellow — Netherlands’ War Studies Research Centre; Director of Research — The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies.
Research themes: Warfare (past, present, future), Strategy, Coercion, Deterrence, Emerging technologies.
Board Member
Prof. Filip Edjus
Professor of Security Studies — Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade.
Research themes: Identity, memory, and emotions, International interventions, Civil-military relations, Security sector reform.
Board Member
Sarka Kolmasova
Deputy Head & Assistant Professor — Department of International Relations and European Studies, Metropolitan University Prague.
Research themes: Norms, Military Interventions, Responsibility to Protect, Human Rights in International Politics.
Support Team
Technology Coordinator
Dr Arthur PB Laudrain
Arthur is responsible for most of the online logistics of the organisation. He is Team Lead and a Senior Researcher for Cyber Security at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich. Arthur has been with us since 2017.
Events Coordinator
Dr John NT Helferich
John is your first point of contact. He is in charge of our email communications, and ensures smooth coordination between chairs and panel members, among other things. He is a DPhil candidate in International Relations at St. Antony's College, Oxford. John joined the Initiative in 2018.
Communications Coordinator
Eugenio Sanchez
Eugenio assists with the development of our communication strategy and the logistics of our events. He is a PhD candidate in International Relations at Sciences Po Paris. Eugenio joined the Initiative in 2023.