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Julia Blocher

Research Officer, United Nations University

Julia Blocher joined the United Nations University Office to the United Nations as Research Officer in January 2016. Her main research interests are in the geopolitical impacts of climate change and migration, displacement and planned relocations. She is also an avid communicator and active on social media.

Ms. Blocher is also a Ph.D candidate and Associate Member of the Hugo Observatory at the University of Liege (Belgium), conducting field-based research for the International Organization for Migration (IOM)-led ‘Migration, Environment and Climate Change: Evidence for Policy’ (MECLEP) and for the FP7 Consortium ‘High-End cLimate Impact eXtremes’ (HELIX) projects.

Prior to joining the office in New York, Ms. Blocher was a Visiting Scientist at the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and a Research Assistant for the “Politics of the Earth” Program at Sciences Po Paris. She has recently lectured in environmental geopolitics and the governance of migration and asylum at Sciences Po Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cité (Paris XIII) and Addis Ababa University.

She previously worked for the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC-NRC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She holds a Master 2 from Sciences Po Paris.

Research Interests:

Asylum and migration policy
Climate risk
Disaster displacement
Environmental geopolitics
Planned relocation and resettlement policy
Border policy

Education:

Ph.D Candidate in Political Science, University of Liège
(2011): Master 2, Affaires internationales: environnement, dévelopment durable et risques (U.S. Equivalent: International Development), Sciences Po Paris
(2009): B.A. (General Hons, Departmental Hons, Dean’s list 2007-2009) International Studies and French, Johns Hopkins University

Global Geopolitics Series

Global compact on migration should focus on harnessing its win-win benefits

May 12, 2017 10:25 am UTC| Insights & Views

An agreement to address migrant and refugee crises worldwide, which the UN General Assembly adopted in September, has been described by many in the United Nations as nothing short of a miracle. But it also appears...

Economy

Indonesian Stocks Plunge as MSCI Downgrade Risk Sparks Investor Exodus

Indonesian stocks suffered a dramatic selloff on Thursday, putting the market on course for its largest two-day decline on record as fears of a potential downgrade to frontier market status rattled investors. The benchmark...

Asian Currencies Trade Flat as Dollar Retreats After Fed Decision

Asian currencies traded in a mostly flat-to-lower range on Thursday, while the U.S. dollar weakened after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged and struck an optimistic tone on the U.S. economy. Currency...

Philippine Economy Slows in Late 2025, Raising Expectations of Further Rate Cuts

The Philippine economy posted weaker-than-expected growth in the final quarter of 2025, reinforcing concerns about slowing momentum and increasing speculation over further monetary policy easing by the central bank....

South Korea Industry Minister Heads to Washington Amid U.S. Tariff Hike Concerns

South Koreas Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan is set to visit Washington on Thursday to hold high-level talks with U.S. officials following President Donald Trumps announcement of plans to raise tariffs on South Korean...

Oil Prices Hit Four-Month High as Geopolitical Risks and Supply Disruptions Intensify

Oil prices climbed to a four-month high during Asian trading on Thursday, extending recent gains as heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran prompted traders to price in a higher risk premium....

Politics

Federal Reserve Faces Subpoena Delay Amid Investigation Into Chair Jerome Powell

The Federal Reserve has not yet complied with grand jury subpoenas tied to an ongoing criminal investigation involving Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, according to a report by CNBC citing a source familiar with the...

Trump Warns Minneapolis Mayor as Immigration Raids Continue Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey that he was playing with fire by insisting local police would not enforce federal immigration laws, even as the White House sent mixed messages...

Starmer’s China Visit Signals New Era in UK–China Economic Relations

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday in a high-profile diplomatic engagement aimed at strengthening UKChina economic relations after years of strained ties....

Jerome Powell Attends Supreme Court Hearing on Trump Effort to Fire Fed Governor, Calling It Historic

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed on Wednesday that he personally attended last weeks Supreme Court arguments related to President Donald Trumps attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, underscoring...

Trump Weighs Military Options as Iran Tensions Rise

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a range of military and political options against Iran, including targeted strikes aimed at weakening the countrys security leadership and encouraging renewed protests, according...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Amazon Eye Massive OpenAI Investment Amid $100B Funding Push

NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) are reportedly in discussions to invest as much as $60 billion combined into artificial intelligence powerhouse OpenAI, signaling a major...

Meta Stock Surges After Q4 2025 Earnings Beat and Strong Q1 2026 Revenue Outlook Despite Higher Capex

Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: META) shares jumped sharply in after-hours trading after the company delivered better-than-expected Q4 2025 earnings and issued a strong revenue forecast for the first quarter of 2026, easing...

Samsung Electronics Posts Record Q4 2025 Profit as AI Chip Demand Soars

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (KS:005930) delivered record-breaking revenue and profit in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven largely by booming demand from the artificial intelligence industry for advanced memory chips. The...

Microsoft AI Spending Surge Sparks Investor Jitters Despite Solid Azure Growth

Microsoft rattled investors after reporting record artificial intelligence spending alongside slower-than-expected cloud growth, raising concerns about when its massive AI investments will meaningfully pay off. Following...

Advantest Shares Hit Record High on Strong AI-Driven Earnings and Nvidia Demand

Advantest Corp. (TYO:6857) shares surged to a record high on Thursday after the Japanese semiconductor testing equipment maker posted strong fiscal third-quarter earnings and raised its full-year guidance, driven by robust...