Studies at the University of Zurich (lic. phil. I; political science, history, international law; 1991); Assistant at the Department of Political Science, University of Zurich; Doctorate at the University of Zurich (Dr. phil.; political science; 1995); 1996–1998 Research Associate at the Institute of Political Science, University of Bern; 1999–2002 Senior Assistant at the Department of Political Science, University of Zurich; 2002–2003 Visiting Scholar, Harvard University, Cambridge MA; since 2003 head of the research area Policy-Analysis & Evaluation; 2005 Substitute Professor ‚Public Sector Reform’, University of Konstanz; Habilitation in political science, University of Zurich (privatdozent; 2007); 2009–2012 Visiting Professor 'Swiss politics', University of Zurich; since 2014 Professor of Political Science with focus on Evaluation.

Board Member Swiss Evaluation Society (SEVAL; 1998–2008); Executive Board Member, European Evaluation Society (EES; 2002-2005); Member of the Ethics Committee (2008-2010) and of the Publication Task Force (since 2023) of the American Evaluation Association (AEA); Editor of the Swiss Political Science Review (SPSR; 2016-2020); Member of the Executive Committee of the  Center for Higher Education and Science Studies, University of Zurich (CHESS; since 2022); President of the Swiss Political Science Association (since 2024).

Research, evaluation, teaching and consulting activities in various policy fields.