Alina Zumbrunn

Dr. Alina Zumbrunn is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science, University of Bern, where she has held roles as a PhD Candidate, Research Assistant, and Teaching Assistant since 2017. Her work focuses on political culture, rural-urban divides, gender politics, and democratic institutions. She completed her PhD in Political Science (2024) and holds an M.A. (2020) and B.A. (2018) in Social Sciences from the University of Bern, with an exchange semester at the Central European University in Budapest.

Her research explores topics like Swiss political culture in comparative perspective, the geography of autocracy, and gender stereotypes influencing voting behavior. She has published in journals such as Swiss Political Science Review, Political Research Quarterly, and Democratization, contributing to debates on rural-urban political divides and place-based identities. Her teaching includes seminars on the urban-rural conflict and introductory political science courses, conducted in German.

Zumbrunn’s work bridges theoretical political science with empirical analysis of contemporary issues, particularly in Switzerland and cross-national contexts. She has engaged with media discussions on urban-rural tensions and environmental policy debates, highlighting her commitment to public-facing research.