Alumni
Bohnenblust, Laura (University of Bern)
Ms. Bohnenblust is a PhD candidate at the University of Bern. Her PhD project titled, “Arte Flotante. Strategies of Mobility in the Art of Argentina between 1950 and 1970” is funded by a Doc.CH scholarship of the Swiss National Foundation. She is part of the Graduate Program Global Studies at Bern University.
Brito, Renata Peregrino de (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Brito has been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of St.Gallen and an invited Professor at Fundação Getulio Vargas. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor and Chair of Business Strategy, at Ibmec Business School. Dr. Brito is a researcher in the areas of business strategy and sustainability and her research interests span the study of value creation and the interdependence between organizations and the environment. Her current research project regards adaptation strategies for climate change in food supply chains. She has several publications, including academic articles, working papers, newspaper articles as well as research reports. Currently, she is a Professor of business strategy and sustainability at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio).
Brooks-Ames Lachenmeier, Rachel (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Brooks-Ames’ thesis “Creating Shared Value: Evaluating its social, environmental and economic impacts in rural Latin America” was defended in 2015. She has worked as an independent consultant and also with the executive education program at the University of St.Gallen. Currently, she is the Head of Executive Education at the Competence Center for Social Innovation (CSI-HSG) at this same university.
Capra, Pedro (C2D, University of Zurich, UNICAMP, Swissnex in Brazil)
Dr. Capra holds a PhD in Political Science from University of Campinas (UNICAMP), was awarded the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for the academic year 2014-2015, and spent time as a Visiting Researcher in Switzerland first at the University of Zurich and later at the University of Fribourg. Since then, he has been working closely with Latin Americanists from Switzerland and abroad. Dr. Capra currently works as Academic Relations Project Manager at Swissnex in Brazil. In this position, Mr. Capra helps connect universities, think tanks, research institutions, professors and researchers to establish, and further develop, science and technology partnerships.
Cohen, Jonna (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Cohen’s thesis is titled “Critical Pedagogy and Coaction: Latina Empowerment in a United States Food Organization” and it aims to understand the full significance of food within the Denver Latino community, especially the ways in which women are defining and leading the food justice movement in local food projects. It explores two community organizations, the GrowHaus and Revision International, which foster food, racial, and economic justice in pre- dominantly Latino neighborhoods. The locations of both organizations are in transition and poised to be gentrified in the next years. Further, the study looks at individual and collective identification processes and how intersectionality, resistance, participation, and action converge. It explores the ways in which Latinos are empowering themselves through food with particular emphasis on the ways in which Latinas are creating change in discourse and action. Two periods of fieldwork were conducted. The transcribed and coded data discovered a number of emerging themes including the ways in which women act as inspirational leaders and creators of alternate economies. Mrs. Cohen completed her monography in September 2016. She joined the World Food System Center at the ETH Zürich in November 2016.
Contreras Arias, Carolina (University of St.Gallen)
Mrs. Contreras Arias’ thesis, titled “Decision Making Processes in Organizations of Alternative Production in Mexico's Organic Food Industry” was put on hold during her pregnancy leave from the end of January till the end of April 2015. Upon her return, she worked on one of the three main analysis of her dissertation, which also is simultaneously a part of a scientific paper for publication. Mrs. Contreras defended her PhD thesis in early June 2017.
Dagicour, Ombeline (University of Geneva)
Ms. Dagicour received her PhD in History both from the Universities of Geneva and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. From September 2011 to August 2017, she worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Geneva. In 2014, she received a Doc.Mobility grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation to complete her doctoral research and has been invited as a visiting scholar at the French Institute of Andean Studies in Lima, Peru and at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She defended her thesis “Regenerating the Homeland, Building the State. Geographical Knowledge and the Production of Territory in Peru, 1900-1930” in November 2017. Her research focuses on the process of State formation in Peru through the elaboration of techno-scientific knowledge and practices such as exploration, surveying, and map-making during the early Twentieth Century.
Díaz Rosaenz, Micaela (University of St.Gallen, FLACSO, Universidad Nacional de San Martín)
Dr. Diaz Rosaenz is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Conicet and the National University of Avellaneda (CONICET-UNDAV) as well as an undergraduate Professor and Academic Coordinator of the Master’s Degree Program in Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies at the School of Politics and Government of the University of San Martín (EPyG-UNSAM). She is also a virtual tutor at FLACSO (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales). Her topics of research include public policies, sociology of consumption, citizenship and inequality in Latin America. Dr. Diaz Rosaenz completed and defended her dissertation titled, “La ciudadanía consumida: Política nacional, consumo y ciudadanía en Argentina y Brasil (2003-2015)” at the University of St.Gallen (Switzerland) in August 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Yvette Sánchez (CLS-HSG) and Prof. Dr. Lívia Barbosa (PUC – Rio de Janeiro). The main aim of her research project was to analyze the preponderant place that consumption occupies (of the population in general and the popular sectors in particular) as an integral part of citizenship under the Kirchner and Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party) governments. Dr. Diaz Rosaenz also holds an MA in Public Policy and Development Management (Universidad Nacional General San Martín) and a BA in Sociology (Universidad de Buenos Aires).
Eichin, Nadja (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Eichin holds a Master's degree in International Affairs and Governance from the University of St.Gallen. She completed and defended her thesis “Perspectives of a new security culture within a Conflict Studies framework regarding Latinos in the U.S.” in 2014. In her thesis, she explored migration and security culture at the U.S.-Mexico border. Dr. Eichin currently works for the German Federal Office of Migration and Refugees.
Foppa, Simon (University of Lucerne)
Dr. Simon Foppa completed and defended his dissertation titled "Social support in Spanish-speaking christian migrant communities" in 2019. The study analyzes the social support functions of Christian migration communities for Spanish and Latin American immigrants in Switzerland. It describes different congregational models, forms of social services, their limitations and key processes of resource mediation. The thesis was published in 2019 as a monograph titled "Kirche und Gemeinschaft in Migration" (Church and community in migration). Currently, Dr. Simon Foppa is working in the area of organizational development.
Froidevaux, Alice (University of Zürich and University of St.Gallen)
Dr. des Froidevaux holds a Bachelor's degree in History and Spanish Language and Literature and a Master's degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Bern. In summer 2017, Ms. Froidevaux completed and defended her dissertation with the title "Grassroots Movements as Transnational Actors: The Case of CLOC-La Vía Campesina in Central America" at the University of St.Gallen. Her thesis uses the International Peasant Movement La Vía Campesina as a case study to analyze the challenges that grassroots movements face when seeking to operate transnationally. Currently, Ms. Froidevaux is working as the Coordinator of the Lateinamerika-Zentrum Zürich (University of Zurich) and the small NGO Guatemalanetz Bern.
García Agüero, Alba Nalleli (University of Bern)
Dr. García Agüero completed and defended her dissertation titled, “Conceptualización de la identidad mexicana en libros escolares y narrativas: un enfoque crítico y sociocognitivo” at the University of Bern in February 2020 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Yvette Bürki (Universität Bern) and Prof. Dr. Anna De Fina (Georgetown University, Washington DC). The general purpose of her research project has been to analyze the strategies of discursive construction through which the Idealized Cognitive Model of Mexican national identity was structured into four generations of first-primary school books (1960-1971; 1972-1980; 1981-1993; 1994-2009) and to what extent such MCIs are reflected in the narratives of people who studied with these books. Alba holds a MA and a BA in Spanish Linguistics and Literature (Universität Bern) and a BA in Italian Language and Literature (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). She is currently lecturer in Spanish Linguistics at the University of Bern and the University of Basel.
Garzón de la Roza, Tomás (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva)
Mr. Garzón de la Roza is a third-year PhD candidate in International Relations at the Graduate Institute. His thesis is titled “Policy Controversies amid Uncertainty. A Comparative study on First- Mover Advantages in Shale Oil and Gas Regulation” and focuses on the reform of hydrocarbon laws in Latin American countries. He has successfully defended his Preliminary Study in March 2015. He also works as a research assistant for Prof. Annabelle Littoz-Monet for the project “Ethics Experts as a Tool of Technocratic Governance? Explaining the Uses of Ethical Expertise in Global Governance”. He conducted fieldwork between February and September 2016, based on four cases; two from Latin America (Argentina and Brazil) and two from Europe (France and the United Kingdom). The field trips aimed at conducting interviews with policymakers, state officials, company officials and activists. The expected date for his defense is September 2017.
Geremia Cometti (University of Strasburg)
Dr. Cometti, PhD in Anthropology (Graduate Institute, Geneva), is Associate Professor in Anthropology and the Director of the Institute of Anthropology at the University of Strasburg (France). Prior to that he was a Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) post-doctoral fellow at the Laboratoire d'Anthropologie Sociale (Paris) and SNSF fellow within UCL Anthropology Department (London). He has also been embedded in the SSLAS network during his doctoral studies. His work focuses on the relation between indigenous societies and climate change
Gafner-Rojas, Claudia (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Gafner-Rojas finished her doctoral studies in 2012 at the University of St.Gallen. Her thesis "Legal protection of indigenous languages in international law and in the Colombian legal system" received the Lateinamerika-Preis 2012 (HSG) for best doctoral thesis in Latin American studies. She has been a Professor at the University of Barcelona and a Research Assistant at the University of St.Gallen. She currently works as an independent legal consultant in Switzerland, while continuing to be dedicted to her research and teaching assignments from the Universidad Externado de Colombia, the Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona, and other universities. Her research interests revolve around environmental law and the protection of human rights. Her current research projects focus on the problems of the violation of human rights—especially of indigenous peoples—due to the displacement and forced disappearance derived from the armed conflict in Colombia; on the issue of post-conflict environmental recovery, and on the issue of indigenous rights and multinational companies. Her last monograph deals with the study of international environmental law and its application in Colombia, is in print, and will be published in early 2018.
García Portilla, Jason (University of St.Gallen)
Mr. García Portilla is finalizing his second year as a doctoral student. He has been beneficiary of the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (ESKAS). His thesis is titled “[…] by their fruits ye shall know them”: Religious discourses and practices, and their relation to development indicators in Europe and the Americas (case studies: Switzerland, Cuba, Colombia, Uruguay). This research applies a mixed-methods approach where he has already gathered about 90% of the data. In the second semester of 2017, he will be analysing, discussing and triangulating the information to conclude his work (planning to submit his dissertation by December 2017).
Gambon, Helen (University of Bern)
Ms. Gambon completed and defended her dissertation with the title “Constitutionality processes and social-ecological dynamics in the Pilón Lajas Indigenous Territory and Biosphere Reserve” at the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern in September 2020. She currently works as a programme officer at the Swiss Humanitarian Aid.
Höber, Henning (University of St.Gallen)
Mr. Huber developed his thesis “Jaguars at the Gate: Outward Mergers & Acquisitions of Latin American Companies” and defended it in February 2014.
Jacobi, Johanna (University of Bern)
Dr. Jacobi is a former ProDoc PhD candidate. She has successfully completed her thesis “The contribution of organic and non-organic cocoa cultivation to social-ecological resilience in Alto Beni, Bolivia” on 7 July 2013. She has concluded a Postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley from 1.1.2014 - 30.6.2015 with Miguel Altieri in Agroecology (Funded by SNF, Early Postdoc Mobility). Since July 2015 she has been working as a post-doc and project coordinator at the Centre for Development and Environment, University of Bern (UR4D project on “Food Sustainability” in South America and Africa, funded by SDC and SNF).
Lerch, Louca (University of Geneva)
Mr. Lerch defended his thesis “Globalization of indigenous territories. Roles of international aid and technology of geographic information in the process of territorial innovation in Bolivia” in September 2013. He is currently a scientific collaborator of the Department of Geography of the University of Geneva.
Mariano Alves, Juliana (University of St.Gallen, State University of Tocantins (UNITINS), Federal University of Tocantins (UFT)
Ms. Mariano Alves is a PhD candidate in Regional Development at the Federal University of Tocantins in Brazil. She develops her thesis in the context of the second largest hydrographic basin in Brazil (Tocantins/Araguaia) with the objective of designing a governance system that promotes sustainability criteria for the use of water resources. She was a visiting researcher at the University of St.Gallen to immerse herself in systems theory and organizational cybernetics. Previously, she was a public policy consultant for the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, and coordinated environmental compensation programs for the Hydroelectric Plants on the Tocantins River. She has authored and co-authored knowledge popularization books, and has several publications in periodicals and scientific journals. She is currently a professor of environmental planning and management at the State University of Tocantins.
Massüger, Nina (University of Zurich)
Ms. Massüger defended her thesis “The constitutional process in Venezuela (1999), Bolivia (2006-2009) and Ecuador (2007-2008)” in 2013. She currently works as research associate at the Law Department of the University of Freiburg.
Mösching, Dominik (University of St.Gallen)
Mr. Mösching defended his thesis, “Coloniality in practice. Tracing power struggles in marginal entrepreneurship” in September 2018 and will graduate in February 2019. In the past, Mr. Mösching has worked for myclimate and was an assistant to Prof. Dr. Chris Stayeart at the University of St.Gallen. He is currently Deputy Director at the non-profit public sector innovation consultancy staatslabor in Bern.
Müller, Fabián (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Müller wrote a thesis titled “Crisis of confidence in Argentina. Regarding discursive construction of a semantics for collective failure”. He carried out fieldwork in September 2013 in Buenos Aires where he conducted 30 comprehensive and episodic interviews with taxi drivers. His defense was on 2016. He won the 2017 Latin American prize for his dissertation and is currently working for UBS in charge of managing Latin American markets.
Nuoffer, Florence (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva)
Ms. Nuoffer defended her thesis, “The Mapuche Traditional Ecological Knowledge in the context of the Lanín National Park (Province of Neuquén, Argentina): an analysis of issues and institutional arrangements for access/use of natural resources”. She currently works with environmental education and formation at the Swiss (Geneva-based) Fondation Education 21.
Oehri, Noah (University of Bern)
Noah Oehri works on his PhD thesis on the topic of liberation theology in Peru during the 1960s and 1970s in the context of the SNF project “Von der Mission zur Kooperation: Der Einfluss der Befreiungstheologie auf die Entstehung und Transformation sozialer Bewegungen in Cuczo, Peru (1960er - 1980er Jahre)” directed by Prof. Christian Büschges at the Institute of History at Bern university, which deals with the impact of pastoral work on the social mobilization of rural peasant societies. He presented his project in the SSLAS workshop in autumn of 2016. She is part of the Graduate Program Global Studies at Bern University. In the summer of 2017 he is doing fieldwork in the Andean region of Peru.
Opitz, Christian (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Opitz has defended his thesis «Brazil’s Economy in Crisis: An economic analysis of the decreasing international competitiveness of the Brazilian manufacturing industry» in December 2013. Nowadays, he works full-time as vice president and head of the competence center for Energy Management (ior/cf-HSG) at the University of St.Gallen. His research focuses on the energy sector in Switzerland and in Brazil.
Palacio Roldán, Juan Fernando (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Palacio defended his thesis “Latin America in the WTO: Participation and Influence in Multilateral Trade Diplomacy” in April 2016. He graduated in September of that year. He is currently working on a book chapter project (“Rules-Based System.” It belongs to the book “Terms of Trade”, edited by Weinhardt, C. and Dingwerth, K.; the volume studies the WTO and will be published by Routledge). He is also currently teaching at EAFIT in Medellín, Colombia.
Pérez Peralta, Luis Eduardo (University of Bern)
Dr. Pérez Peralta conducted an interdisciplinary analysis of the Inter-Oceanic Highway in Peru. His research resulted in a (re)interpretation of the dynamics of Peruvian social grammar through a reading of the main land routes in the country. In addition, his study puts on the
agenda the discussion on communication systems and their geopolitical links in the Latin American region. Mr. Pérez Peralta specializes in qualitative and ethnographic research. He has been a university professor in Peru and is currently responsible for Peru at Apia, a Swiss
organization that supports projects in education and health for children and adolescents in Latin America.
Rojas Cocoma, Carlos.
Dr. Rojas Cocoma es en historia y actualmente desarrollo una investigación posdoctoral en la Universidad de Berna, bajo el proyecto “Global horizons” de la Prof. Dr. Beate Fricke. Mi investigación actual se centra en el arte prehispánico muisca, y su relación con las plantas y sustancias alucinógenas. El link de mi perfil en la universidad es el siguiente.
Rojas, María Isabel (University of Zurich)
Dr. Rojas received her Bachelors degree in History and her Master’s degree in Art History from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). She obtained her PhD in Art History from the Humboldt Universität-Berlin with a dissertation about the city image of Berlin after German Reunification. In her research she analysed a variety of visual materials produced by the city government, the tourism sector and local urban movements, aiming to address urban and social issues linked to the construction of memory and identity. Until the Fall Semester 2018, Dr. Rojas was a postdoctoral fellow at the Kunsthistorisches Institut-Universität Zürich under Prof. Dr. Tristan Weddigen. Her project, financed by a Bundes-Exzellenz-Stipendium, analyses the representation of Swiss landscape in contemporary political posters and advertising in connection with the construction of national identities. In parallel, she collaborates with the Global Research Index of Political Iconography (GRIPI), an international project building a global image database in cooperation with partner projects at the universities in Mexico City, London, and Hamburg.
Rotondaro, Angelica (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Rotondaro completed her thesis “Cultural relativism in Fairtrade. An exploratory study on trade relationships between small producers in Brazil and their market interfaces in Switzerland” in 2012. She was the head of the University of St.Gallen São Paulo Hub Office in Brazil and is now running her own business.
Ruth, Saskia (University of Zurich)
Dr. Ruth is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Political Science at the NCCR Democracy at the University of Zurich and the C2D in Aarau (Switzerland). She holds a Diploma in Latin American Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Cologne (Germany). Her dissertation focussed on the effect of different linkage strategies of political parties on the quality of political representation in Latin America. Her current research extends this agenda to the study of the quality of democracy in general and beyond Latin America. She joined the ProDoc network after delivering a lecture during a ProDoc workshop during the second semester of 2014.
Schoch, Teresa (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Schoch is an expert in Health Economics and finished her thesis on “Starvation follows obesity – Creating an understanding of the food system” in 2015. In order to prepare its publication for the „Südwestdeutschen Verlages für Hochschulschriften“, she will present an actualized version at the SSLAS workshop in October.
Schubiger, Livia (University of Zurich and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE))
Dr. Schubiger defended her thesis, “Repression and Mobilization in Civil War: The Consequences of State Violence for Wartime Collective Action”, in October 2013. She worked at the International Conflict Research Group at the ETH Zurich as a postdoc. Since Fall 2015, she has been working as Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics (Department of Government).
Scoville-Simonds, Morgan (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva, and University of Oslo)
Dr. Scoville-Simonds defended his thesis “Adaptation-as-development: ‘Socializing’ and ‘depoliticizing’ climate change adaptation, from the international to the local level” on June 2015 with a summa cum laude and with the SNIS award 2016. He is currently doing his post-doc research in political ecology at the University of Oslo and Graduate Institute.
Schurr, Carolin (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Schurr is a Branco Weiss fellow and Assistant Professor for Transcultural Studies at the University of St.Gallen. In her work, she examines the emerging economies of assisted reproduction in Mexico, Guatemala, Ukraine, and Georgia. Her ethnographic study of the fertility markets aims to investigate the economic, political, and social challenges of these markets.
Siemann, Yvonne (University of Luzern)
Ms. Siemann’s PhD thesis is titled “The Nikkei in Santa Cruz: an ethnographic analysis of ethnic identities of a Japanese descendant community in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.” Her thesis deals with the multiple identities of Japanese post-war descendants in the city of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. She works for the Swiss government.
Sims, Rosie (Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva)
Dr. Sims received her PhD in anthropology from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva in 2020. Her research investigated a global health intervention which released bacteria-infected mosquitoes as a flying biotechnology against arboviruses like Zika, dengue, and chikungunya in Medellín, Colombia. Her dissertation explored how this alternative approach to vector control departs from existing rationales of eradication and instead is premised on the idea of multi-species coexistence, implying a reconfiguration of human–mosquito–microbe relations and advocating a more complex understanding of health. Currently, she works as a consultant in Global Health organizations. She is also the Field Notes section editor for the journal Medicine, Anthropology, Theory.
Souto, Sandra (University of St.Gallen)
Dr. Souto wrote her PhD in International Business at the Institute for Business Ethics (IWE) at the University of St.Gallen. The title of her dissertation is “International Business & Human Rights from an Institutional and Ethical Perspective: Insights from Multinational Corporations in Brazil”. She applied grounded theory and normative business ethics in her study. She collected data in two field research stages from several large multinational corporations and related stakeholders, located in several states in Brazil. She graduated in 2021.
Tejada, Laura (University of Bern)
Ms. Tejada completed her thesis on “Biofuel Boom and Land Concentration in Coastal Peru: Dynamics of Exclusion and Reactions from Below”, in 2017.
Terry, Cristian (University of Lausanne)
Dr. Terry wrote his thesis titled “Les dynamiques contemporaines de l’ « artisanat » textile dans les Andes Péruvienne à l’heure du tourisme du XXI siècle: le cas de la région de Cusco” in 2019.
Tschopp, Maurice (University of Bern)
Mr. Tschopp is developing a thesis titled “Quinoa production in the Lipez Region: Employment opportunities, asset accumulation and struggle for natural resources”. He has concluded the first phase of fieldwork and is currently drafting articles that constitute part of his Thesis.
Villalba Vargas, Elida (University of St.Gallen)
Ms. Villalba Vargas finished her PhD dissertation in the Organisation Studies and Cultural Theory Program at the University of St.Gallen in 2021. She was a recipient of the scholarship "Becas Carlos Antonio López, BECAL" from the Paraguayan Government. Her research project was titled “The Environmental Sanitation Boards in Paraguay: An Analysis of their Governance, the Social-Cultural and Legal Factors that Impact the Model and Their Implications on the Guarantee of the Human Right to Water”. In 2018, she received a Mobility Grant from the Leading House for the Latin American Region to conduct fieldwork in Paraguay. She has extensive experience as a legal consultant and has worked in Paraguay, Mexico, and Switzerland.
Vargas, Carlos (University of Zurich)
Dr. Vargas wrote his dissertation at the University of Zurich's Department of Banking and Finance. The title of his thesis was "Three essays in Real Options for Sustainable Finance in Latin America". Dr. Vargas is Lecturer for “Sustainable Finance and Investments” and “Environmental Economics” at the Harvard University Extension School and Harvard Summer School. He has also written several financial editorials at two of the most influential newspapers in Mexico and taught courses at ITESM and UIA universities in Mexico City. Dr. Vargas was formerly CFO of New Evolution Ventures Mexico, COO for The Vertex Companies, U.S.A., and has managed the real estate investment portfolio at BBVA Asset Management, Mexico. He is currently Professor of Finance at EGADE Business School del Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico.
Vergara, Cristian (University of Bern)
Cristian Vergara has defended his thesis “Social Multicriteria evaluation of REDD+ project in Pilon Lajas, Bolivia” in September 2015, at the Centre of Development and Environment, University of Bern. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in natural resource management from the University of Chile and a Master’s in conservation biology from the University of Valencia, Spain. For his master’s thesis and during a six-month internship at the University of York, United Kingdom, he worked on using remote sensing and GIS to retrieve biophysical parameters (leaf area index and chlorophyll content) from crops and forest cover. Currently he is interested in the interface between economy and ecology and the social and natural sciences to gain a better understanding of the complexity of environmental problems.
Vogt, Manuel (ETH Zurich and Princeton University)
Dr. Vogt was part of the ProDoc network and defended his thesis, “Ethnic Mobilization, Equality, and Conflict in Multi-ethnic States”, in December 2013. He is currently a visiting post-doctoral research associated to the Department of Politics at Princeton University. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from ETH Zürich and is the coordinator of the R4D project "Ethnic Power Relations and Conflict in Fragile States," funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). He is also the executive manager of the Ethnic Power Relations (EPR) dataset and has coordinated the two updates of the dataset.
Vousvouras, Christian (University of St.Gallen)
Mr. Vousvousras has defended his thesis, “The impact of governance, pricing and billing sys- tems on the performance of water utilities in developing countries”, in 2013. He has worked as a consultant and is currently working at Nestlé, being responsible for water management programs.
Waldmüller, Johannes (New York University and Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador)
Former post-doc at the Department of Anthropology (New York University), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (until July 31, 2016), since 2016 Johannes M. Waldmüller is part-time Research Professor at the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences, Universidad de Las Américas, Quito, part-time Visiting Professor and Member of the Doctoral Committee at the Faculty of Administration, National Polytechnic University Quito, and Occasional Lecturer at FLACSO Buenos Aires. In these positions, he supervises theses at all levels in Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia. His current research is concerned with intercultural human and nature rights, territorial and socioeconomic shifts at the Ecuadorian coast after the earthquake from April 2016, community resilience, disaster prevention, food security and sovereignty, peasant livelihoods as well as rural-urban transformations in the Andean Amazon (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador), emerging middle-class(es) and organic waste management between production, marketing and household consumption. He is currently exploring possibilities for a new post-doc in Japan for 2018.