Biography

Before coming to the EUI, between 2010 and 2014 I conducted my PhD research at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Before this I studied international relations and international law in Bremen, Paris and Amsterdam. In 2012-2013, I was a Fulbright visiting researcher at Columbia University, New York. In the summer of 2014 I attended The Hague Academy of International Law.
I study the roots of state action, exploring how commerce, norms and geopolitics inform the making of foreign policy. In particular, my work presents new perspectives on the function of international institutions and states’ behaviour therein. I defended my dissertation, titled ‘Rogues, hawks, and doves: Liberal democracies and the dilemma of response to “rogue states”’, in September 2014. In it I ask why liberal democracies vary in their responses to norm-breakers in international politics. I challenge the frequently invoked argument that states guard their economic interests when considering responses to norm violation.
In past years, I have taught courses on international relations theory, global governance and international security, as well supervising MA theses in Amsterdam as well as at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
My research interests are located in the politics of global governance, arms control and the Global South. I would be delighted to offer advice on these themes.