Dr. Melanie Müller
Africa and Middle East Deputy Head of Research Division
Areas of Expertise
- Southern Africa
- Human rights
- Migration
- Strategic partnerships
- Sustainability governance
South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, political transformations in Southern Africa, resource governance and supply chain responsibility, metal supply chains, GIBSA
Short Curriculum Vitae
Positions at the SWP
At the SWP since 2017
10/2024 – present: Deputy Head of the Africa and Middle East Research Division
01/2024 – 06/2025: Co-lead of the thematic working group ‘Cooperation in the Context of Systemic Rivalry’
Leadership of research projects and working groups at the SWP
06/2020 – present: Interministerial Dialogue on Raw Materials Supply Chains
10/2017 – present: Coordinator of the GIBSA Quadrilogue
02/2024 – Dec 2025: Project: International Raw Materials Cooperation as a Tool for a Sustainable and Resilient Supply of Raw Materials (focus: Southern Africa)
07/2020 – 07/2025: Head of the SWP component of the research project ‘Research Network on Sustainable Global Supply Chains’
06/2020 – 12/2023: Project on Transnational Governance Approaches for Sustainable Raw Materials Supply Chains (focus: Southern Africa and the Andean region)
Secondment to the Federal Government
06/2022 – 10/2022: Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Department of Industrial Policy, Division for Raw Materials Strategy, Mineral Resources and Technical Supervision of the BGR
Academic affiliations and visiting lecturerships
Current: Habilitation project at Freie Universität Berlin
09/2025 – present: Adjunct Faculty, Hertie School of Governance
10/2024–06/2025: Visiting lecturer at Freie Universität Berlin
04/2023: Visiting Research Fellow at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
08/2015 to 12/2016: Research Assistant at the Free University of Berlin
SWP Publications
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Metallic Raw Materials: Security of Supply as a Geoeconomic Task
in: The Return of Power Politics to the Market: Theory and Practice of the Geoeconomic ZeitenwendeContribution to a Research Paper 2026/RP 07, 15.04.2026, 109 Pages, pp. 55–61
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The EU’s External Raw Materials Strategy: Key Fields for Action
Building Resilient Partnerships and Advancing Local Value Creation
Research Division Africa and Middle East | Working Paper Nr. 01, August 2025 -
The Russia-Ukraine War’s Shockwaves in Africa. A Zeitenwende for German Africa Policy?
Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, this Working Paper examines repercussions in Africa and on German Africa policy, analysing to what extent they are in continuity with trends that preceded the war and to what extent they represent a break with past patterns. Has the Ukraine war turned out to be a sea change for Africa and German Africa policy, too?
Megatrends Working Paper 2024 10, 13.02.2024, 39 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2024MTA-WP10
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South Africa: Good Governance a Precondition for Progress on SDGs
in: Country-level Politics around the SDGsContribution to a Research Paper 2023/RP 07, 10.07.2023, 75 Pages, pp. 56–59
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The Future of European-Chinese Raw Material Supply Chains
Three scenarios for 2030 and their implications
SWP Comment 2023/C 27, 16.05.2023, 8 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2023C27
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From Competition to a Sustainable Raw Materials Diplomacy
Pointers for European Policymakers
SWP Research Paper 2023/RP 01, 24.02.2023, 45 Pagesdoi:10.18449/2023RP01
External publications
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Between global geopolitics and national interests: BRICS cooperation in the mineral sector
in: South African Journal of International Affairs (online first), 15.07.2025. -
South Africa and the EU Should Collaborate to Build Strategic Interdependence in Critical Minerals
in: SAIIA, 30.06.2025 -
Sustainable Global Supply Chains Report 2023
Project or Conference Paper 2023, 25.12.2023, 144 Pagesdoi:10.23661/r1.2024
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Addressing Environmental Injustices in South African Artisanal Gold Mining
In: Obasesam Okoi, Victoria R Nalule (eds.): Governing Natural Resources for Sustainable Peace in Africa. Routledge, 2023, pp. 77-100. -
The energy transition and green mineral value chains: Challenges and opportunities for Africa and Latin America
in: South African Journal of International Affairs, 24.07.2023 (online) -
The ‘new geopolitics’ of mineral supply chains: A window of opportunity for African countries
in: South African Journal of International Affairs, 14.07.2023 (online)