Cora is a PhD candidate in the Department of International Relations at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳. In her dissertation project, she researches the formation of the secular in international peace mediation and the resulting prominent conceptions of religion in conflict transformation. Applying a critical perspective, her research questions prevalent secular assumptions within the international community of mediation.
Prior to joining ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳, Cora worked as an international consultant for GIZ in Mauritania, as an Associate Political Affairs Officer in the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs’ Office of the Under-Secretary-General and the Central Africa Team, as a Program Officer in the Mediation Support Team at CSS-ETH Zurich, and as an Academic Attachée at the Embassy of Switzerland in Belgium.
Cora holds a Joint Degree MA in Religion-Economics-Politics from the Universities of Basel, Lucerne, and Zurich and a BA in Religious Studies from the University of Zurich. She is a Fulbright Candidate for the 2025/2026 academic year.
Research topic
Western Perceptions in Intractable Conflicts: The Impact of Secularism on International Peace Efforts
Academic supervisors
Mark Hoffman
Professor James Walters
Research Cluster affliation
Security and Statecraft Research Cluster
Theory/Area/History Research Cluster