Tobias Bunde's research and professional interests focus on the foreign and security policies of Western democracies. He is particularly interested in how ideational factors (identities, ideologies, ideas etc.) shape world politics. One of his main objectives was to combine basic theoretical research and policy relevance. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Hertie School, which is in the process of building a Centre for International Security Policy (CISP) that aims to become a Berlin-based hub for scholars, policymakers, and the wider public interested in security policy. Since 2009, he also worked for the Munich Security Conference, where he now serves as Head of Policy and Analysis. This real-world experience has been very important for his research, including his PhD dissertation.