Katharina Nicolai

• since 04/2023 – Research assistant at the Chair of Middle East Politics and Society (Prof. Dr. Thomas Demmelhuber), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• 2020-2023 – PhD scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
• 2019 – Master Thesis award Christoph-Schumann-Gedächtnispreis
• 2018-2019 – Bucerius Doctoral Scholarship ‚Trajectories of Change‘ of the ZEIT-Stiftung
• 2018-2023 – Research assistant at the Erlangen Cntre for Islam and Law in Europe (EZIRE) and the Chair of Middle East Politics and Society, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• 2014-2018 – Study of Middle Eastern Studies at the Philipps Universität Marburg, École de Gouvernance et d’Économie in Rabat, Morocco, and the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Master of Arts 2018)
• 2010-2014 – Study of Political Science and Islamic Studies at the Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium (Bachelor of Arts 2014)

• Environmental Politics and Political Ecology in West Asia and North Africa (WANA)
• Democracy and Autocracy Research
• Soft Power & Legitimation
• Comparative Politics (regional focus WANA)
• Transitional Justice
• Political Culture and Cultural Politics in the Maghreb Region

Dissertation Project: Environmental Sustainability as a Catch-All Policy Field in Morocco (working title)

•  Nicolai, K. u. A. Wüst (2022). Cultural diplomacy and the reconfiguration of soft power: Evidence from Morocco, Mediterranean Politics, DOI: 10.1080/13629395.2022.2033513 (peer-reviewed)
• Nicolai, K. (2020). A Green Gambit: The Development of Environmental Foreign Policy in Morocco, The Journal of North African Studies, DOI: 10.1080/13629387.2020.1865931 (peer-reviewed)
• Nicolai, K. (2020). Sustainable development and environmental policy in the Middle East and North Africa. In ORIENT (Vol. 61, pp. 36-44). Berlin: Deutsches Orient-Institut.
• Nicolai, K., et al. (2021). Germany (country survey). In: Stephanie Müssig, Egdūnas Račius, Samim Akgönül, Ahmet Alibašić, Jørgen S. Nielsen, Oliver Scharbrodt (eds.), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 13 (2021). Leiden: Brill.
• Nicolai, K. (2020). Polygamie – Islamisch. In: Heribert Hallermann, Thomas Meckel, Michael Droege and Heinrich de Wall: Lexikon für Kirchen- und Religionsrecht. Band. 3 (L-Z), Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh.
• Nicolai, K. (2020). Pilgerfahrt – Islamisch. In: Heribert Hallermann, Thomas Meckel, Michael Droege and Heinrich de Wall: Lexikon für Kirchen- und Religionsrecht. Band. 3 (L-Z), Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh.
• Nicolai, K., et al. (2019). Germany (country survey). In: Oliver Scharbrodt, Samim Akgönül, Ahmet Alibašić, Jørgen S. Nielsen, Egdūnas Račius (eds.), Yearbook of Muslims in Europe, Volume 11. Leiden: Brill.
• Nicolai, K. (2019). Feiertage – Islamisch. In: Heribert Hallermann, Thomas Meckel, Michael Droege and Heinrich de Wall: Lexikon für Kirchen- und Religionsrecht. Band. 2 (F-K), Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh.