About us

Etienne is President of Polis180. He is responsible for the think tank’s legal affairs as well as institutional questions. In this capacity, he keeps an eye on the organisation’s strategic development to help make young voices heard in foreign and European affairs. Etienne is also involved in fundraising.

Etienne holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a focus on trade policy, for which he studied in Freiburg, Aix-en-Provence, Brussels, Paris and Geneva. He is interested in the intersection of EU trade policy and EU external action, particularly with regards to China and the ASEAN states, as well as the use of narratives in Chinese foreign policy.

Since 2020, Lena (she/her) has been a member of Polis180 and has co-led the program ‘Gender and International Politics’ since the beginning of 2023. Moreover, she is President of Polis180 and supports the departments for fundraising as well as is responsible for matters concerning human resources.

In March 2023, Lena graduated with a Master’s degree in „Democratic Governance and Civil Society“ at the University of Osnabrück. Currently, she works as research associate at the University of Bielefeld and prepares her doctoral thesis on Feminist Foreign Policy. In her research, Lena focuses on topics in the intersection of Political Theory, International Relations and Gender Studies and is especially interested in feminist International Relations, (feminist) foreign policy and related topics, in feminist and queer theories, as well as in postcolonial feminisms.

Jona is responsible for Polis180’s finances as well as the OpenTTN and supports the areas of human resources and IT. He is interested in tech policy as well as economic and security issues. His regional focus is on Southeastern and Eastern Asia and Africa. He currently finishes his studies with a diploma thesis on Quantum Machine Learning for robotic applications.

Teresa joined Polis in December 2022, supporting the student-led journal “Polis Reflects” on international politics. As of July 2023, she became part of the executive board. Teresa will be responsible for social media and community management. She wants to focus on making the work of Polis visible for a broader audience and bringing the members of Polis closer together after Covid.

Teresa studied and studies social and political science in Berlin. Her areas of expertise are democracy, international cooperation and competition as well as development cooperation.

Lukas has been a member of the Polis180 Executive Board since July 2024 and is responsible for publications and program coordination. Having joined Polis180 in June 2020, Lukas heads the European Economic Policy program area and contributes his expertise particularly in the field of financial markets and banking.

He holds a Master of Public Policy from Sciences Po and an MPA with a specialization in Economic Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Lukas currently works as a consultant in the area of financial services in Brussels.

Jill has been a member of Polis180 since February 2023 and a board member since July 2023. As a member of the executive board, she currently supports the areas of program coordination and diversity.

She achieved her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science with the minor Sociology at Heidelberg University. Besides, Jill studied abroad at the Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada during her Bachelor studies. In October 2023, she started her Master’s degree in International Relations in Berlin and Potsdam.

Marvin has been involved in the Rhineland regional group since the beginning of 2024. He has been a member of Polis180 since March 2024. As a member of the executive board, he represents the areas of social media and public affairs. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Economics, Society and German Studies (two-subject Bachelor’s degree) from Ruhr University Bochum. He is currently studying for a Master of Arts in Political Science at the University of Bonn. There he works at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS), where he deals with security policy issues.

Merritt has been a member of Polis180 since 2021 and a member of the board since July 2024, where she is responsible for the departments Publications and International Affairs. Her areas of expertise are geopolitics, security and conflict research, with a particular focus on the regions of Central and Western Asia.

Merritt holds a Bachelor’s degree in European Studies from OVGU Magdeburg and a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Hertie School in Berlin. During her studies, she also collected international experience in Amman and Istanbul. Currently, she is completing a traineeship in the Analysis and Research Team of the Council of the EU in Brussels.

Julius joined Polis 180 in July 2023 and has been part of the executive board since July 2024. Julius mainly supports the Community resort as well as the resort of Administration & Finance and IT. His main goal is to keep and extend a vital and dynamic feeling of togetherness in the Polis-Community and beyond.

Julius holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and is studying Political Science in his masters at the FU in Berlin. Currently, he spends a semester studying and living in Istanbul. Besides the vibrant metropole, Julius is very much interested in the political developments of the entire region.

Mara has been a member of Polis180 since October 2022. In July 2024, she was elected to the extended board, where she is jointly responsible for the Diversity and Community departments.

Mara studied European Studies (University of Osnabrück) and Educational Science and Psychology (University of Bielefeld) for her Bachelor’s degrees. She is currently enrolled in a Master’s programme at the University of Osnabrück, where she is studying ‘Conflict Studies and Peacebuilding’ and ‘European Governance’. She works for a regional EU information centre and in a research project on climate transformation financing.

Lars has been a member of Polis180 since the end of 2020. He was and is primarily active in the connectingAsia programme. As a member of the board, he is responsible for podcasts and legal affairs.

Lars studied International Relations, Romance Studies and East Asian Studies in Erfurt, Tokyo and Groningen and worked as an audio journalist. He then completed a Blue Book Traineeship at the European Commission and currently works as a consultant at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin.

Sophia first came to Polis in 2019 via Polis kocht. As project manager of ‘Politically? Correct!’ project, she led the project for the 2021 Bundestag elections and worked to strengthen young perspectives in the European and foreign policy discourse. This is exactly what she wants to continue to promote as part of the extended board.

Sophia studied Political Communication in Erfurt and London. She focussed in particular on global public spheres, foreign journalism and post-colonial perspectives in reporting.

David is member of the executive board and responsible for fundraising, program coordination and our international network. He aims to strengthen the cooperation between Polis180’s programs and the Open Think Tank Network, and manages the creation of our supporters’ network “180 Freund*innen”. He is an active member of the program “connectingAsia”.

David has studied in Maastricht and Berlin.

Stephanie supports the board in the association’s management. She is the first contact for members and non-members.