Niklas Balbon
Research Associate
Niklas Balbon is a research associate with the Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi) in Berlin, where he contributes to the institute’s work on peace and security. His current work explores feminist approaches to crisis prevention as part of the Stabilization Lab project. His research interests include the intersection of gender and conflict as well as post-war development.
Recently, Niklas conducted field research on gender relations in post-war Kosovo and co-authored a study on the Donbas war, focusing on social cohesion in eastern Ukraine prior to the 2022 invasion. Previously, he supported GPPi’s work on the PeaceLab Blog. His analysis has been featured on Voice of America and E‑International Relations, among others.
Niklas holds a master’s degree in conflict, security and development from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in political science from Freie Universität Berlin, where he supported the Research Unit for Peace and Conflict Studies as a research assistant. During his studies, Niklas interned at the US Embassy in Berlin and the German Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. His studies were supported by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung).
