Doctoral Candidates

Humaira is a PhD Candidate and Predoctoral Research Fellow with the EUFOG project, under the supervision of Dr. Robert Kissack. Her research examines how shifting geopolitical dynamics and internal contestation influence the EU’s external engagement on gender rights and equality. She holds an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development, earning an LLM from the University of Glasgow and a Master’s in International Security from Institut Barcelona Estudis Internacionals (IBEI). She also holds an MA in International Law and Human Rights from the University of Tartu. Her prior academic work has focused on gender justice, including research on sexual and gender-based crimes through feminist and restorative justice lenses. Before joining the EUFOG programme, Humaira worked at the United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as an Early Career Climate Fellow.

Vasiliki is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Early Stage Researcher at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna (EUFOG Project). Her PhD research examines the European Union’s strategic role in Indo-Pacific security frameworks. She holds a Master's degree from Sciences Po Paris (with distinction), a Bachelor's degree from the University of Piraeus (valedictorian), and has worked with NATO, the OECD, and the European External Action Service (EEAS). Her work focuses on EU security policy, alliance formation, and the role of emerging technologies and science diplomacy in global governance.

Pia is a Marie Curie Early Career Fellow at the University of Bristol, UK. Her doctoral research focuses on domestic contestation over new EU geoeconomic instruments. She holds a Master’s degree in International Political Economy from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. Pia has a background in management, with an undergraduate degree in International Management from ESB Business School, Germany, and over two years of work experience in strategy consulting at the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, a research organisation specialising in applied sciences and industry innovation.

Fanny is a MSCA Doctoral Candidate at the Jagiellonian University in Poland. Her doctoral research focuses on The EU’s engagement process and its relations with close neighbours in the current geopolitical order. She holds a Master’s Degree in International Public Management by SciencePo Paris and a BA in Political Science.

Isabel is one of the EUFOG doctoral researchers based at the University of Bristol. She holds an MSc in International Development from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom and a BA in International Relations from IE University in Spain, where she specialised in geopolitics and diplomacy. Before starting her PhD, she worked as a project manager on EU-funded international cooperation programes, developing and coordinating projects focused on governance, inclusion, institutional reform and sustainable development. Her doctoral project explores how European Strategic Autonomy (ESA) is constructed, contested and reimagined across national and institutional discourses within the European Union.

Anna holds a BA in Diplomatic and International Sciences from the University of Bologna and an MA in European and Global Studies from the University of Padua. She has experience in EU project management and previously interned at the Gender Advisor Office of NATO JFCBS. She is a PhD candidate at the Diplomatische Akademie Wien, where she conducts research on multilateral cooperation.

Gvantsa holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint master’s degree in European Studies from University of Strasbourg and University of Deusto. She also graduated with a BA in International Relations, specializing in European Integration from Corvinus University of Budapest. Her PhD research examines the implications of the European Union’s geopolitical turn for human rights promotion and civil society engagement in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region, with a particular focus on Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.

Felix is a Research Fellow at Egmont - The Royal Institute for International Relations and a doctoral candidate at Ghent University. He is part of the MSCA-funded doctoral network Contested EU Foreign Policy in an Era of Geopolitics (EUFOG). His research focuses on European Union grand strategy and Europe’s role in a changing international order. Previously, he worked at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Berlin on Germany’s Zeitenwende, and held positions at Interpeace Europe, the German Bundestag, and the German Federal Foreign Office. He studied Political Science and Communication in Mainz and Strasbourg and holds a Master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris.

Nika is a PhD Candidate at Leiden University's Institute of Political Science. He is conducting research on EU enlargement in an era of great power competition under the EUFOG project. Nika accomplished his studies at Tbilisi State University in Georgia (International Relations, BA and European Studies, MA) and LUISS Guido Carli University in Italy (Policies and Governance in Europe, MA). Over the past years, Nika has actively researched and engaged in raising awareness about the EU and NATO integration, the Eastern Partnership and enlargement process, both in the professional and academic settings.

Mads holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and an MA in Diplomacy and Global Governance from Brussels School of Governance. Before joining ARENA, he worked at Climate Group, an international non-profit organisation based in Amsterdam. Mads Østergaard's PhD project examines the EU's role in international climate change negotiations and how emerging powers perceive the EU's role amid increasing contestation of the international order. His research is part of the EUFOG doctoral network, which explores how EU foreign policy responds to a changing international system. 

Noam joined the Egmont Institute in November 2025 as a Research Fellow in the Europe in the World Programme. He is a doctoral candidate at Ghent University and part of the MSCA-funded doctoral network Contested EU Foreign Policy in an Era of Geopolitics (EUFOG). His research focuses on the integration processes of European Defence and the relations between the EU and NATO. Previously, he worked at the Boston Consulting Group in Institutional Relations in Milan. He studied Political Sciences at the University of Milan and holds two Masters degrees in International Relations at the University of Milan and in Intelligence and International Security at King’s College London.

Oliver is a Ph.D. candidate at the Institute of European Studies at Jagiellonian University. His research explores the geopolitics of renewable energy within EU energy policy, with a particular focus on Central Asia and the South Caucasus. He examines the intersection of renewable energy initiatives with energy security, political dynamics, and regional development, and how these factors are reshaping EU foreign relations and redefining traditional forms of energy diplomacy. He holds a Master’s degree in Russian, Eurasian, and Eastern European Studies from the Aleksanteri Institute at the University of Helsinki, where he specialized in Central Asian affairs. In addition to his academic work, he regularly writes and contributes to publications on energy policy in Central Asia and China.

Martí holds a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (UPF-UAB-UC3M-UAM) and a Master’s in European Affairs from Sciences Po Paris, supported by a Ramon Areces Foundation scholarship. He has worked for the Department of Foreign Action of the Government of Catalonia, the political consultancy Hill and Knowlton, the French Institute of International Relations, and the United Nations Technology Bank in Istanbul. He is also the Political Studies coordinator at Ateneu Barcelonès. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD in Politics at the University of Bristol, where he studies the implications of the EU's geoeocnomic turn supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship as part of the EUFOG network.

Anniek is a Predoctoral Fellow at IBEI, where she is part of the doctoral network “Contested EU Foreign Policy in an Era of Geopolitics” (EUFOG), under the supervision of Dr. Oriol Costa. Her research focuses on Europe’s climate diplomacy in a changing geopolitical context. Prior to joining IBEI, Anniek earned a dual Master’s degree in International Relations from Sciences Po Paris and Peking University. Her thesis explored the governance of China’s energy transition in Shanxi province. She also holds a BA in Liberal Arts from Amsterdam University College. Previously, Anniek has worked as a Research Assistant at the Clingendael China Centre and completed an internship at the Dutch embassy in Beijing.

Kim Alexa has a background in European Law (LLB) and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree covering International Law of Global Security, Peace and Development (LLM), International Security (MA), and International Law and Human Rights (MA). After working as a paralegal supporting strategic litigation and cases involving international dispute resolution, transnational justice, and human rights, she has now joined the EUFOG MSCA doctoral network as a Doctoral Candidate at the Diplomatische Akademie Wien (DA), where she will work on The EU’s public diplomacy at time of crises and uncertainty.

Maximilian is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Political Science at Leiden University. As part of the EUFOG project, his research examines the relationships between the concept of European Strategic Autonomy and the interests of non-state actors and third-countries, particularly within the transatlantic relationship. He holds a Master’s degree in International Relations with a specialization in International Political Economy from the Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals (IBEI), as well as a Research Master’s degree in Political Analysis from the Open University of Catalonia. Prior to joining the Institute, Maximilian worked in the Americas Department of the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Amy is an EUFOG DC based at IBEI, under the supervision of Dr. Oriol Costa and Prof. Dr. Helene Sjursen. Her research focuses on the right-wing populist contestation of EU climate and gender norms, the Commission's response, and the erosion of the liberal international order. She holds a MSc in Global Governance (Distinction) from the University of Exeter, where her thesis explored the challenges of outer space governance and the role of norms in regulating the proliferation of direct-ascent anti-satellite testing. She was invited to attend the EU TRACTS Working Group4 Symposium on Traces and Technology to present and develop this research. Prior to joining IBEI, Amy undertook a Research Internship at the International Centre for Sustainability in London, co-authoring a paper on second chamber function and reform. 

Léna is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Fellow at Jagiellonian University within the EUFOG network. Her doctoral research focuses on the European Union’s enlargement policies, with particular attention to the rule of law and its perception and impact in Western Balkan candidate countries. She holds an MSc in Political Science (specialization in Democracy and Representation) and a BA in International Relations and Organizations from Leiden University. She has previously gained experience in EU enlargement policy through internships at the Permanent Representation of Hungary to the EU (COELA Working Party) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary (EU Enlargement and Pre-Accession Support Department).