Prof. Thomas Bernauer

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).

In his research and teaching, Thomas Bernauer focuses on how environmental and economic problems that extend beyond national borders can or could be solved. He is the author or co-​author of 11 books, more than 160 scientific journal articles and book chapters, and other types of publications. His publications have, for example, appeared with Princeton University Press and in political science, economics, and interdisciplinary sciences journals, for instance International Organization, British Journal of Political Science, European Journal of Political Research, Ecological Economics, World Development, Nature Climate Change, Nature Sustainability, Nature Food, Global Environmental Change, Environmental Science and Technology, Energy Policy, Journal of Cleaner Production and Water Resources Research.

His recent publications are listed here. The full list of publications is available on this webpage.