Julie Melichar is a lawyer, climate activist, and humanitarian coordinator, with eight years of direct engagement in frontline rescue operations in conflict zones. She co-founded the Migration Initiative during her time at the Graduate Institute to provide vital language courses for asylum seekers. She received the Global Migration Award for her Master’s thesis analysing the humanitarian impacts of the EU-Turkey Agreement (2017). Her humanitarian work was recognised with the prestigious Alumna of the Year Award (2019).

Julie Melichar’s fieldwork spans some of the most critical humanitarian landscapes. Previously as Emergency and Project Coordinator, and currently as Head of Mission for Search and Rescue at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), she has stepped into frontline roles in Gaza, Darfur, Syria, Chad, Tunisia, and Libya. She co-founded SOS MEDITERRANEE Suisse (2015), an international maritime and humanitarian organisation dedicated to saving lives at sea. In a collaborative rescue mission with MSF, she spent two months aboard the rescue ship Aquarius (2018) documenting survivor testimonies.

Julie Melichar has built her expertise in humanitarian work with the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Amnesty International, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). She is serving on the Board of Greenpeace Suisse, advocating for environmental issues to be brought to the political forefront.