Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernauer
Prof. Dr. Thomas Bernauer
Full Professor at the Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences
Curriculum Vitae
Thomas Bernauer is a professor of political science at ETH Zurich. He and his group are based at the Center for Comparative and International Studies (CIS), a joint institution of ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, and at ETH Zurich’s Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP).
Thomas Bernauer obtained his doctoral degree from the University of Zurich in 1992. In 1988-92 he was a researcher at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva, in 1992-94 a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University, and in 1994-95 a senior lecturer at the University of Zurich. In 1995 he was appointed assistant professor at ETH Zurich, in 1999 associate professor, and in 2004 full professor.
In 2004-2006 Thomas Bernauer was Dean of ETH Zurich’s department of humanities, social and political sciences (D-GESS), and in 2005-2009 Director of the Center for Comparative and International Studies. From 2004-2012 he was a member of the Swiss National Science Foundation’s (SNSF) Research Council. In 2011-2012 he served as President of the SNSF division IV, which is responsible for national research programs, NRP, and national centers of excellence, NCCR. From 2015-2021 he served as the Founding Director of ETH Zurich’s Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP). He is also a lead author in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Working Group II, and a member of the Committee of Experts for the German Excellence Strategy. A detailed CV is available on this webpage (box on top right of this page).
Research
Thomas Bernauer’s work focuses on political and other conditions under which societal problems that extend beyond national borders can be solved. Empirically, his research concentrates on environmental policy as well as international trade issues. He is the author/co-author of around 190 articles in scientific journals and book chapters, 12 books, and many contributions to newspapers and blogs. Thomas Bernauer has studied international governance issues for the past 30 years, starting with research on the global chemical weapons ban, nuclear and biological arms control, and international environmental institutions. Since then, most of his research has concentrated on measuring and explaining international environmental cooperation and its effectiveness, explaining differences in environmental policy and its effectiveness across countries and time, and on citizen and consumer attitudes and behaviour with respect to environmental and trade issues.