Manuel Eisner

Prof. Manuel Eisner is the Wolfson Professor of Criminology and Director of the Institute of Criminology at the University of Cambridge, and a retired Professor of Sociology at the University of Zurich. His research focuses on explaining societal and historical patterns of interpersonal violence, psychological and social mechanisms influencing violent behavior, and evidence-based prevention strategies. He leads the Violence Research Center and founded the Zurich Project on Social Development (z-proso). Eisner has authored 15 books and over 100 journal articles, with work spanning English, German, Spanish, and French. His advisory roles include collaborations with the WHO, UNICEF, and World Bank. Notable awards include the Sellin-Glueck Award from the American Society of Criminology.

Education: Studied history at the University of Zurich, earned a doctorate in sociology. His research integrates criminology, sociology, and public health, examining topics like adolescent victimization impacts, historical homicide patterns, and global violence reduction frameworks. He co-organized the 2014 WHO global violence reduction conference at Cambridge.

Research interests emphasize transdisciplinary approaches to violence prevention, combining longitudinal cohort studies with innovative methods like ecological momentary assessment and machine learning. His work bridges academic theory with practical policy, influencing international initiatives such as the WHO INSPIRE framework. Eisner's team includes researchers like Denis Ribeaud and Margit Averdijk, advancing understanding of violence dynamics through large-scale data analysis.