Events Team - 2021
Mara-Katharina Thurnhofer
- Coordinator of the Events Team
Mara-Katharina Thurnhofer is currently a Digital Fellow at CES and a student of the Security, Intelligence and Strategic Studies Master’s program offered by a consortium of European universities. Before starting her Master’s, she successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree in social sciences at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany. Throughout her studies, she has been focusing on American politics and sociology. To deepen her understanding, she completed two exchange semesters in the U.S. at Western Washington University in Bellingham, as well as an internship at the U.S. Consulate General in Frankfurt, Germany. Her academic and personal interests intertwine in topics such as feminist security studies, the intersectionality of gendered violence and gender approaches to cybersecurity and technology. To connect these interests with practical experience, Mara has taken leading roles in non-profit organizations and companies. Currently, she is part of the data team at Brand New Bundestag, a political grassroots initiative in Germany.
Contributions:
Maria Vitali Rosati
- Member of the Events Team
Maria graduated in European studies from King’s College London, where she also completed a year at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Maria wrote her final year dissertation on the effectiveness of the European Union as a security actor, with a case study on the Western Balkans conflicts.
Eliza Fike
- Member of the Events Team
Throughout Eliza's travels, studies, and experience in the world, she has been able to attain what she hopes to be a worldly and open-minded perspective. In her efforts to further broaden and improve this perspective and fully pursue all her academic passions, she applied to IMSISS with this goal in mind. Now a part of the IMSISS program, she joined the security distillery to connect people with individuals and organizations that provide a wider understanding of global affairs.
Minalè Nouri
- Member of the Events and Podcast Team, Contributor
Minalè joined IMSISS in 2020 after she majored in Biology and Public Health with a minor in International Relations in the Netherlands. She is strongly engaged with issues of forced migration and conflict, and regionally specialises in the Middle East and North Africa. Always up for a challenge, Minalè is part of the Events and Podcast team and enjoys collaborating with her peers on the creation of high quality content.
Contributions:
Jennifer Confidence
- Member of the Events Team
Jennifer holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations and Strategic Studies and has undertaken a continuing education program on Policy and Development studies. She works with Global Pillars in increasing the involvement of young people and women in peace processes and building their capacities to navigate changing times. She is also keen on attending to the issues of extremists online recruitment and radicalisation.
Nickolas Brütsch
- Treasurer of the Operations Team, Member of the Events Team and Contributor
Nickolas was raised in both Switzerland and the United States. He is a Reserve Officer in the Swiss Armed Forces. His academic interests include Russia, intelligence, space, cyber and nukes.
Contributions:
Jayesh Bharkhada
- Member of the Events Team
Jay studied history at undergrad and specialised in Central Africa, he remains interested in the region from a security perspective. He worked in expert networks prior to joining the security distillery and hopes to use his corporate experience in a more academic setting.
Marine Krauzman
- Member of the Events Team, Contributor
Marine holds a double major Bachelor’s degree in Law and English Civilisations and a double major Master’s degree in International Law and Common Law. Her year abroad at the University of Turku gave her the impetus to focus her studies on conflict-related security issues as she studied humanitarian law and human rights there. She got several volunteering and professional experiences with migrants and youth and she is very interested in the law and armed conflict and the post-soviet space.
Contributions:
Joachim Sarfati
- Member of the Events Team
Joachim is a French student with a background in political science. Before integrating the IMSISS programme, he attended the Institut Catholique de Paris, Sciences Po Lyon and the University of Edinburgh. Economic security is his main focus; his first MA thesis considered the risks induced by globalisation for the French defence industry.