Dr Virginie Baudais is a Senior Researcher and the Deputy Director of the SIPRI Sahel - West Africa Programme. Prior to joining SIPRI in August 2019, she worked for two UN peacekeeping operations. In 2014, she worked in Bamako as special assistant to the chief-of-staff. From 2008 to 2013, she served with UNOCI first as electoral adviser in Abidjan and then as special assistant to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General/UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator.
Prior to her experience with the UN, Virginie worked as chef de cabinet to the mayor of Albi (France) and as teacher assistant at the University of Toulouse-Capitole. She also lived several years in Tunisia and Jerusalem.
Virginie graduated from Science po Toulouse and holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Toulouse Capitole/Science po Toulouse. Her doctoral thesis on “The institutionalization of the State: Comparing Mali and Niger” focused on democratization processes, decentralization and state reform, elections and citizenship building. She also has master´s degrees in International Relations from Science po Toulouse and in History from the University of Rennes II Haute-Bretagne.
Peacebuilding and peace consolidation, democratic transitions, state reform and decentralization, political parties, elections and citizenship building, UN peacekeeping operations and UN transitions
West Africa/Sahel
PhD in Political Science, Centre Morris Janowitz, Science po Toulouse, Universite Toulouse-Capitole