Following the successful and well-attended four sessions of the TraCe lecture series “Transformations of Political Violence: New Perspectives” Part 1, Part 2 will begin this winter semester at Goethe University Frankfurt. Valerie Sticher from Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich will kick off the lecture series on November 11, 2025, at 4 p.m. with her lecture “Satellite Data for Understanding and Monitoring Armed Conflict”. The lecture is a collaboration with the Comparative Politics Speaker Series.
Valerie Sticher is a senior researcher at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich. She uses a combination of qualitative and computer-assisted research methods to study the dynamics of armed conflicts. In her current research, she explores how satellite data can support both conflict analysis and humanitarian response. She is involved in a project that uses satellite-based data on nighttime lighting as an indicator for identifying humanitarian crises. Valerie is also co-principal investigator of the projects “Remote Monitoring of Armed Conflicts” and “Deep Learning-based Mapping of Conflict” – two interdisciplinary initiatives that aim to automatically detect war-related damage in freely accessible satellite images. Prior to joining ETH Zurich, she held positions at the University of Zurich, Johns Hopkins University, AI Singapore, and Leiden University, where she researched the role of new technologies and ceasefires in peace processes. Before moving into academia, Valerie worked in various practice-oriented roles, including as Senior Program Officer in the Mediation Support Team at the Center for Security Studies and as Political Affairs Officer at the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste.
- When? November 11, 2025, 16:00 h (c.t.)
- Where? Goethe University, Westend Campus, PEG 2.G121
The lecture series “Transformations of Political Violence: New Perspectives” showcases new approaches to the changing forms, institutions, and interpretations of political violence as they are studied within TraCe. It brings together perspectives from history, sociology, political sciences, and cultural studies with activist voices.
The presentation takes place at Campus Westend and will be held in English.