IDEoPOP: Meet Sophie Maier & Corneel Weyers
The Centre for International Studies (CERI - Sciences Po/CNRS) welcomes Sophie Maier and Corneel Weyers, two doctoral students within the framework of the IDEoPOP programme. Funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN), IDEoPOP explores how populism intersects with both domestic and international politics and how it impacts international politics. Sophie and Corneel answer our questions in this short interview.
How would you describe your academic background to date?
Sophie: I hold both a Bachelors of Arts and a Masters Degree in Political Science from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, with my academic journey further enriched by a semester abroad at the University of Wrocław in Poland. My research background spans a diverse range of topics, including Hindu nationalism in India, climate change legislation, and the state of academic freedom.
Corneel: I completed a Bachelors of Science and a Masters Degree in Economics at Ghent University in Belgium. After finishing my dissertation on the impact of the European Green Deal on migration flows, I wanted to learn more about political science and international relations. I had the opportunity to move to Rome the year after, and there I completed a Masters in European Studies at LUISS University. I wrote my dissertation on the failures of the EU’s democratisation strategies in the Middle East, in particular regarding Palestine, Iran and Egypt.
You both share the same supervisors, Christian Lequesne (CERI Sciences Po) and Leslie Wehner (University of Bath). What is the subject of your doctoral thesis?
Sophie: My research examines how populist parties in democratic contexts (specifically the German AfD and the British Reform UK) maintain relationships with non-democratic states, using India as a case study.
Corneel: In my doctoral thesis, I focus on the impact of populism on diplomatic policymaking during Bolsonaro’s presidency in Brazil. I investigate the ways in which Brazilian diplomats act and react under populist leadership, when their institutional roles are politically captured.
Can you describe the collective research project you are involved in?
Sophie and Corneel: We are both doctoral candidates within the pan-European IDEoPOP Doctoral Network, part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. Our network explores the international dimensions and effects of populism. It brings together 11 doctoral candidates across 7 European universities and 6 renowned think tanks and policy institutes, each working on distinct but interconnected research packages.
Sophie: The IDEoPOP Lecture Series on the Concepts, Causes, and Consequences of Populism is available for anyone interested in the topic. All lectures are open-access and can be re-watched on the IDEoPOP network’s official website.
Corneel: The IDEoPOP network focuses on a wide range of issues related to populism around the world, so feel free to get in contact with any of us to collaborate!
Interview by Miriam Périer, CERI
Access the Lecture series "Concepts, Causes, and Consequences of Populism"
