Dr. Natascha Zeitel-Bank was a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Development Strategies from March 2000 through September 2000.  She studied sociology in Mannheim and finished her doctoral thesis in political science at the University Erlangen-Nürnberg with the title: European Regional policy between economic impact and interest policy (Frankfurt a. M 1998). 

Her research interests are in the fields of Empirical Market Research,International Relations (EU-United States, Third Countries), EuropeanPolicy (European Integration, Enlargement, Common Foreign and Security Policy, Reforms of the Institutions.

Beside her academic career, Dr. Zeitel-Bank worked as a journalist for a variety of TV stations in Germany and Belgium that include ZDF, Deutsche Welle and SAT 1.  From 1997 until beginning 2000 she worked for the Press and Information Service (TV section) of the European Commission in Brussels.