Patrick Meier is a PhD candidate at The Fletcher  School of Law and Diplomacy based at Tufts University where he is a current  Henry Luce fellow. He received his MA from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) and was a visiting student at the University of California at Berkeley. His interests include: conflict and disaster early warning, political geography and complex systems. Patrick is a  Research Associate at the Peace Research Institute, Oslo (PRIO), and as a  professional consultant has worked with the UN, OSCE, AU, ECOWAS and IGAD  both in the field and at headquarters. His webpage can be consulted here.