Laurent Goetschel

Laurent Goetschel is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Basel and Director of the Swiss Peace Foundation (swisspeace). He holds a position within the Department of Social Sciences under the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. His research focuses on peace and conflict studies, foreign policy analysis, and Swiss diplomatic strategies.

Education: Studied Political Science and International Relations at the University of Geneva and Institut de hautes études en relations internationales (IUHEI). Previous roles include visiting scholar at Harvard University and Columbia University, head of the National Research Program 'Schweizer Aussenpolitik', and personal assistant to Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey.

Research Interests: Explores peacebuilding mechanisms, geopolitical conflict dynamics, and the role of Switzerland in international mediation. Active in collaborative projects such as 'From Pixels to Peace' on visual communication in conflict transformation and 'Power-Sharing for Peace?' in Lebanon/Syria/Iraq.

Key Collaborations: Works closely with swisspeace and the Basel Institute on Governance. Engaged in policy-relevant research addressing current global conflicts like the Gaza crisis (as seen in 2025 SRF commentary).

Labs/Teams: Leads the swisspeace academic partnership and contributes to interdisciplinary initiatives within the Department of Social Sciences.