About

I am a political scientist who specializes in the intersection of peace and urban studies. I completed my BA, MA, and PhD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I then spent two years on a postdoctoral fellowship at the Georg-Simmel Center for Urban Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin.

In my doctoral research, I studied the contribution of community leadership in Jerusalem to intergroup cooperation and urban peace. In parallel, I co-led a peacebuilding initiative in Jerusalem. My ongoing studies are focused on political identities, urban conflicts, divided societies, conflict resolution, and participatory methods. In my policy-oriented research at JIPP, I deal with demographic and security policies for Jerusalem and innovative thinking for state-wide structural transformations.

Why Cities? In the wake of globalization and urbanization, cities have become pivotal arenas in contemporary politics, offering alternative platforms alongside the state for tackling myriad grand challenges, including war and peace, climate change, resource scarcity, and diversity. However, cities aren't just venues for problem-solving; they can also contribute to these challenges. This duality underscores the unique position of cities in political discourse, providing more grounded practices and observations compared to states. This vivid and contested essence of cities ignites my passion for exploring the dynamic interplay between cities, states, and city-zens, striving to contribute to developing sustainable and flourishing cities that can push forward national progress.

My research philosophy is grounded in the belief that questions should drive the research process, with each question deserving the proper methodological approach—often more than one. Consequently, I advocate for a multi-methods approach, combining qualitative methods such as interviews, observations, and ethnography with quantitative techniques like surveys, statistical analysis, multilevel regression, and matching analysis. Additionally, I am experienced with visual methods, like photovoice. This diverse methodological repertoire ensures robust and nuanced insights that capture the vibrancy and dynamics of urban and regional settings. I am also dedicated to integrating theory and practice, bridging academic concepts with real-world applications to create intellectually rigorous and practically relevant research.