I am a Professor of Political Science at the Department of Philosophy and Political Science at TU Dortmund University. From 2016 to 2024, I had the privilege of serving as Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Theology for two legislative periods.
From 1996 to 2001, I studied Social Sciences and Geography at Giessen University (Germany) and the University of Tampere (Finland). I then completed my Ph.D. as a DAAD-scholarship-holder at Giessen University with a thesis on Indonesia's democratic transition. In the following years, I became a DFG Postdoctoral Research Fellow and directed several projects for Germany's Federal Foreign Office. In 2008, I completed my habilitation on transnational Islamism, followed by an interim professorship in International Relations at the University of Jena. In 2009, I became an Associate Professor, was Head of Department from 2011-14, and was made a Full Professor of Political Science at TU Dortmund University in 2013.
In the same year, I was admitted to Mercator Foundation's 'Global Young Faculty', which aimed to promote outstanding young scientists. From 2014-16, I worked as a Vice-Dean for Research and Finance. Thereafter I took over responsibility as Dean of my faculty for two legislative terms, i.e. eight years (2016-24). In 2020, I became a co-director of the Graduate School on Politcal Cohesion (GSPC, funded by MERCUR-Research). GSPC is a joint venture of TU Dortmund University and RUB.
In terms of research, I am particularly interested in issues related to security. While I had established a regional focus on Southeast Asia in the earlier stages of my career, I have since broadened my scope. In recent years, I have concentrated on topics such as transnational terrorism and military interventions. In particular, I am keen to derive a theory of Islamism which will help to understand the motivations and the behavior of Islamist groups. Moreover, I am trying to shed some light on the prospects and limitations of militant Islamist disengagements. Plus, I cannot resist pursuing research projects completely off the beaten track - such as Lost Ski Area Projects (LSAP).
I am the author of several books and many articles, including "A Conceptual Framework of Sunni Islamism" (Politics, Religion & Ideology), "Peacebuilding through Militant Islamist Disengagement: conclusions drawn from the case of Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya in Egypt" (Peacebuilding), "For Still by Policy the World is Ruled? On the Decreasing Significance of Critical Security Studies/the Welsh School in IR", (Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen, zib, published in German, together with Steve Schlegel), "An analysis of counterterrorism measures taken by Indonesia since the 2002 Bali bombings" (The Pacific Review, together with Kathrin Rucktäschel), and "How Islamist is the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)? An ideological assessment" (Asian Security).
As part of my research 'off the beaten track', I have also carried out studies on what is known as 'Lost Ski Area Projects' (LSAP), publications on which include are "Letzte Bergfahrt: Aufgegebene Skigebiete in der Schweiz und ihre touristische Neuausrichtung" (AS Verlag, together with Matthias Heise) and "Die another day: explanations based on qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) for the survival and non-survival of isolated ski lifts in Switzerland" (Geographica Helvetica, together with Steve Schlegel).
In addition to research, teaching also means a lot to me in order to provide my students with the best possible education. As a contribution to the further development of university teaching, I have initiated two new Master programs in my faculty, the Master of Philosophy and Political Science (MAPP) and the Master of Religion, Ethics and Politics (MaREPol), the latter fully tought in English.
Whether in research, teaching or consulting, I am internationally focused: I have been a visiting researcher at Yale University, New Haven, CT (USA), Parahyangan Catholic University Bandung (Indonesia), the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the University of Lucerne (Switzerland), ADA University Baku (Azerbaijan), the George Washington University, Washington DC (USA), and San Diego State University, San Diego, CA (USA).
It was in my responsibility that Donald Tusk, then President of the European Council and today Poland's Prime Minister, received an honorary doctorate in Political Science from TU Dortmund University in 2018.
As a committed member of my department, faculty, and university, I have frequently participated in and chaired appointment and examination committees and have the pleasure of supporting younger scientists in their research by supervising their dissertation projects. Last but not least, I work as an adviser on developing TU Dortmund University's internationalization strategy. In 2023, I was awarded TU Dortmund University's Internationalization Prize.
As a contribution to the scientific community, I regularly provide reviews and assessments for national and international peer-reviewed journals and publishers, research foundations, ministries, and other institutions.
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