Nicole Plotke-Scherly completed her BSc. in psychology at the University of NSW, Sydney, Australia majoring in forensic and social psychology and a minor in marine biology. After arriving in Switzerland, she spent many years working with people of all ages with mental and physical disabilities. Currently she is in the process of completing attaining a master’s in political science, focusing on democracy, development and international relations. In May 2022, she started working as a research assistant on the ‘DISINTEGRATION’ project under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Stefanie Walter at the University of Zürich.