Tobias von Lossow studied Political Science in Berlin, Cork and Oslo and is working at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs/Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin. SWP advises political decision-makers on international politics and foreign and security policy, primarily towards the German government and parliament, as well as relevant international organizations such as the European Union, NATO and the United Nations.
In the Research Division Middle East / Africa Von Lossow works on water and security issues, as for example the conflict over the Nile water resources or water conflicts in Africa against the background of climate change. His most recent work focuses on weaponization of water by the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq. Von Lossow is also a lecturer at the Freie Universität Berlin.
Von Lossow has extensive experience in the development and coordination of international policy-oriented academic programs. For more than six years he has been in charge of the Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellowship for International Relations and Security (TAPIR), a program that brings together 13 international research institutes and think tanks as for example SWP, USIP, RAND Corporation, German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) or Chatham House. As TAPIR coordinator he was responsible for running and further developing the program, in particular regarding the selection process (design, oversight and coordination), negotiations with program funders, evaluation and quality management, and assistance as well as supervision for the selected fellows.