Lucile Maertens

Lucile Maertens is an Associate Professor in Political Science and International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute, Co-Director of the Global Governance Centre, and on sabbatical in 2025. She holds a dual PhD from Sciences Po Paris and the University of Geneva, and her academic career includes roles at the University of Lausanne, Columbia University (Postdoctoral Fellow), and King’s College London (Visiting Research Fellow).

• Education: PhD in Political Science (Sciences Po Paris and University of Geneva, dual degree)
• Current Affiliation: Geneva Graduate Institute (since 2023)
• Previous Positions: Senior Lecturer (University of Lausanne), Postdoctoral Fellow (Columbia University), Visiting Research Fellow (King’s College London)

Her research focuses on international organizations, multilateral practices, and global environmental governance, with a specific emphasis on temporality and (de)politicization. She co-authored the open-access monograph Why International Organizations Hate Politics: Depoliticizing the World (2021) and co-edited International Organizations and Research Methods: An Introduction (2023). Her recent work analyzes depoliticization strategies in UN institutions.

Current projects include:

• First things first!: How to keep the United Nations environmental agenda in times of crisis (Swiss National Science Foundation, Subside n°100017_200834)
• Switzerland as UN Security Council member (2023-2024, co-managed with Dr. Sara Hellmüller, Fondation pour l’UNIL)

She has geographical expertise in Haiti and speaks French, English, and Spanish.