Dr. Simon Mason
Haldeneggsteig 4
8092 Zürich
Switzerland
Phone: +41 44 632 67 67
Mail:
Simon J. A. Mason is a Senior Researcher and Head of the Mediation Support Team at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at ETH Zurich. He has been working in the Mediation Support Project (MSP, a joint project between the CSS and swisspeace, supported by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs [FDFA]) since 2005 and in the Culture and Religion in Mediation project (CARIM, supported by the Swiss FDFA) since 2011.
He holds a doctorate in environmental science from ETH Zurich and is a trained mediator, accredited by the Swiss Mediation Association SDM. He has been involved as a trainer or facilitator in workshops on conflict analysis, dialogue, negotiation, and mediation with actors from conflict contexts around the world, including from Afghanistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Libya, North Korea, Palestine, Sudan, and Zimbabwe. He has also been involved in mediation training for various policy related and academic institutions (e.g. UN, OSCE, IGAD, and EU). He co-organizes the Peace Mediation Course of the FDFA, and is a trainer in the annual UN Ceasefire Mediation Course (organized with the UN, FDFA and the Norwegian MOD and MFA) and the Religion and Mediation Course (with the FDFA and the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers). He is senior advisor in the Master of Advanced Studies ETH Mediation in Peace Processes. Furthermore, he is a member of the UN and OSCE mediation rosters.
His main research interests lie in the use of mediation in peace processes, the use of mediation in conflicts where religious and cultural issues play a role, the mediation of security arrangements, and the nexus between environment, natural resources and conflict.