Lotta Rahlf

Lotta Rahlf is a Doctoral Candidate in the EU-wide Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network VORTEX and Researcher in the PrEval project at the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), where she contributes to the Radicalization, Terrorism, and Extremism Prevention Research Group. Her work bridges academic research and policy implementation in European security contexts, with doctoral registration at Goethe University Frankfurt under supervisors Julian Junk, Tore Bjørgo, and Christopher Daase.

Her educational background includes an MLitt in Terrorism and Political Violence from the University of St Andrews (2022) and a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Groningen (2021), supported by DAAD and German National Academic Foundation scholarships.

Rahlf's research centers on institutionalizing evaluation frameworks within Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE), analyzing how knowledge management structures vary across European nations. She investigates causal factors behind evaluation efficacy, including terrorist attack exposure and civil society involvement, while exploring conspiracy theories as radicalization catalysts and media framing of terrorism-affiliated returnees. Her methodology combines Qualitative Comparative Analysis with policy transfer studies.

Recent publications reveal a sharp focus on P/CVE evaluation gaps, European policy fragmentation, and emerging threats like AfD's potential impact on German extremism prevention. She systematically documents challenges in measuring causally complex security phenomena while advocating for stable funding and professionalization in democracy promotion.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• The Lord Sedwill Handa CSTPV Dissertation Prize (2022)
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Scholarship (2021-2022)
• German National Academic Foundation Scholarship (2018-2023)

Supported by the EU Horizon Europe-funded VORTEX network and PrEval project, Rahlf actively transfers knowledge through policy workshops with German federal institutions and contributes to public discourse via media outlets like Frankfurter Rundschau and MDR. She co-leads international expert surveys on P/CVE evaluation systems while presenting findings at forums like the European Expert Network on Terrorism Issues.

As a core member of PRIF's Radicalization Research Group and the VORTEX consortium, she drives cross-institutional collaboration through events like the Nordic Conference on Violent Extremism, focusing on methodological innovation in radicalization research and European security policy coherence.