
Aida Kapetanović is a recent doctoral graduate at the faculty of political science and sociology of the Scuola Normale Superiore. Her research interests combine environmental sociology, social movement studies, cultural and symbolic dimensions of collective action, nationalism, identity, and qualitative research methodologies. Her main area of interest is Southeast Europe. She is an activist in Florence, where she has been involved in various grassroots organisations.
The growing political pressure for decarbonization in the Balkans has driven a surge in hydropower projects, posing significant threats to local communities and riverine ecosystems. In response, grassroots initiatives for river protection have emerged across the region. This research focuses on the regional network “Let’s Defend the Balkan Rivers” to examine the role of local environmental struggles in shaping an ecological transition from a bottom-up perspective. It explores the evolution of regional coordination, the diffusion of frames, and the role of regional networking in supporting claim-making across different scales. The study employs frame analysis of the network’s documents and semi-structured interviews with key activists, building on prior research on river protection movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Arseniy Kumankov specializes in war studies, ethics of war and peace, political and social theory. He has been a research scholar in politics at Princeton University since 2022. In 2024, he taught courses on Russian politics and political theory at UMass Amherst. Arseniy received his Ph.D. in philosophy from HSE University (Moscow) in 2014. Between 2013 and 2022, he taught at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (Shaninka) and at HSE University, where he was deputy dean for research at the Faculty of Humanities and associate professor. Arseniy has authored numerous articles in Russian and English, as well as three books in Russian, and is the editor of the book series of the New Literary Observer (NLO) publishing house. Arseniy is a member of EuroISME, Concerned Philosophers for Peace, and the Independent Institute of Philosophy.
The 21st century has transformed traditional notions of citizenship, reshaping how individuals relate to their states, societies, and the global community. Moreover, while the scholarship on citizens’ political responsibilities in developed democratic states is extensive, much less attention has been paid to the role of citizens in countries facing democratic backsliding or non-democratic regimes, especially concerning their political obligations and accountability for their governments’ wrongdoings. My project proposes to explore the evolving meaning of citizenship and the corresponding responsibilities of citizens in a world increasingly defined by a wide range of challenges, three of which are listed as key thematic foci (economic, environmental, and digital issues).
The primary aim of this project is to address two central sets of problems: First, what are the essential characteristics of citizenship in the modern world? And second, what are the political responsibilities of citizens in non-democratic states, particularly in the context of their state’s wrongdoings?

Eleni Oikonomaki is an architect, urban designer, and researcher specializing in smart city planning and innovation ecosystems. She leverages programming languages to collect, measure, and interpret data for diverse design initiatives, including environmental assessments and urban planning. Her expertise spans urban design, spatial analysis, geocoding, and basic cartography, supporting research efforts in areas such as the twin transition (green and digital), technological innovation, and demographic trends. Additionally, she has executed research projects involving econometrics and feasibility studies, contributing valuable insights to the field.
Her research project evaluates the dynamics of innovation districts using big data and geospatial analytics to detect innovation patterns and develop a framework for innovation assessment. Case studies in the US and EU contexts analyze indicators of past development trajectories to understand territorial impacts on “innovation-building processes.” By addressing four key research questions, the study aims to devise practical urban development frameworks for planners and policymakers to foster innovation in low-income and low-growth regions, creating more sustainable, resilient, and equitable urban environments aligned with the twin transition—green and digital. This research aligns with the fellowship’s focus, offering evidence-based insights and a roadmap for managing innovation districts, particularly in Southeast Europe amidst technological advancements and environmental challenges.

Emina Bužinkić (PhD) is a researcher, activist, and writer working at the intersections of migration, transnational solidarities, education, and feminist praxis. Her work challenges the rigidity of migration and border regimes, xeno-racism, ethno-nationalism, occupations, and colonial structures. Emina employs critical qualitative methodologies, including narrative inquiry, storytelling, feminist ethnographies, and critical discourse analysis, collaborating with and advocating for racialized and marginalized communities.She explores pathways to epistemic justice through community-accountable research and agitation. Actively reimagining and practicing migration justice, Emina contributes to organizing social movements and people’s tribunals. She is a member of the editorial collective for AGITATE! – Unsettling Knowledges and serves on the program committee of the Grounded Festival. Her publications span international journals, covering critical migration and border studies, critical race studies, public anthropology, education justice, and transnational feminism.Emina earned her doctorate in critical educational, cultural, feminist, and human rights studies from the University of Minnesota, USA. She is currently concluding her postdoctoral research at the Institute for Development and International Relations, with the project ENDURE – Inequalities, Community Resilience and New Governance Modalities in a Post-pandemic World, funded by the Croatian Science Foundation.
My research, Migrant Work(ers) COUNTER Economies in Croatia, maps the collective organizing of migrant workers and its socio-political impacts amid growing insecurity and precarity in the peripheries of the European Union. I focus on the conditions that enable and obstruct migrant workers’ collective responses to their racialized treatment as “surplus populations” (Mezzadra, 2022). This research positions migrant organizing as a crucial site for producing critical knowledge and driving socio-political transformation, resisting the extractive market logic of racial capitalism while emphasizing the labor agency of migrant workers.
I explore two key questions: 1) What critical junctures mobilize migrant workers into collective action? 2) How can we understand the epistemic and political positionality of migrant workers to foster strategic interventions for democratization and justice-based economies in the EU’s peripheries? To answer these questions, I will engage with migrant workers’ collectives and organizations, while mapping the policies and systems that regulate and exploit migrant labor—from immigration and work permits to working conditions, livelihoods, and unionization. In line with the fellowship call, I situate this research within a moment of converging crises: the rising number of migrant workers from former Yugoslav countries and the Global South into EU nations, and the deteriorating economic conditions threatening workers’ dignity and safety.

Gentjan Skara holds an LLB from the University of Tirana (Albania); an MA in “European Studies” from Epoka University (Albania); an LLM for “South-East European Law and European Integration” from the University of Graz; PhD in “EU Law and National Legal System program” from the University of Ferrara. Genti has been a visiting fellow at the Institute of Corporate and International Commercial Law, University of Graz (Austria), the Department of International Law, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) and the Institute for European Global Studies, University of Basel (Switzerland). As of 1 August 2023, Genti is a full-time member of the Department of Law at Epoka University and teaches EU Law, EU Competition Law and Law and Technology courses. In May 2022, Genti published a book in a well-known publisher, Springer Nature, titled “Europeanization of Albanian Competition Law: The Case of Albania”. In addition, Genti’s scholarship has been published in peer-reviewed international journals. His research interests relate to EU Law, competition law, the harmonisation of laws, and the interplay between online platforms and law. Besides academic engagement, Genti is a National Legal expert for the “Internal Market and Competition” of EU acquis near the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs, Republic of Albania and has provided its expertise to different organisations on issues related to harmonization of law, competition law and regulation of digital platforms.
Online platforms are indispensable to our daily activities as users. In addition, businesses are increasingly using online platforms in the business model. While the increase of online platforms boosts innovation and develops the economy, few online platforms act as gatekeepers by controlling a large digital market, likely leading to unfair practices and conditions for business users and end users. These gatekeepers have challenged the traditional enforcement of competition law in the digital markets. To address the behaviour of large online platforms in the internal market, on 24 March 2022, the EU adopted a regulation commonly known as the Digital Market Act. As the DMA became effective in 2023, pursuant to the Stabilisation and Association Agreement harmonisation clause, the WBc must transpose this regulation into their domestic legal system. Likewise, in the EU, the growth of digital platforms and e-commerce platforms has created new challenges for WBc National Competition Authorities in handling cases concerning online platforms. This research analyses the enforcement of competition rules in the digital market in Western Balkan countries and discusses the main challenges that the WBc national competition authorities face with online platforms. The primary methodology is that of doctrinal legal research and comparative legal research. The doctrinal legal research analyses the current WBc competition legislative act and the National Competition Authority case law. The comparative legal research compares whether and to what extent WBc competition law addresses the behaviour of online platforms. This research argues that the WBc national competition authorities lack the necessary human, financial, and technical resources to handle these kinds of cases.

Haisheng Hu, received his Master of Public Administration from Nanyang Technological University and his Master of Science in International Business from the University of Birmingham. He specializes in international relations, political economy and geopolitical economy and sustainable development. He has published three books, more than 60 review articles in China People’s Daily, China Discipline Inspection and Supervision Newspaper, Study Times, etc., and more than 10 academic articles in international journals, including Asian Political Economy, China Political Review and China Economy.
The Western Balkans, a region characterized by political divisions, economic instability and environmental challenges, is at a critical juncture in its quest for integration into the broader European Union (EU) framework. At the same time, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) presents opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in the region. Using a combination of documentary and quantitative analyses, this study will assess the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative in terms of infrastructure investment, economic cooperation and policy coordination for the Western Balkans in terms of economic stability, digital transformation and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Jasna Jovićević (Serbia), research associate, is a transdisciplinary artist, composer, and artistic researcher whose work bridges music, science, and social engagement. As a saxophonist and composer, she has performed at major festivals across Europe, the USA, and Canada, with a discography of seven solo albums and numerous collaborations. Jasna’s practice integrates experimental music production with scholarly inquiry, focusing on jazz innovation, gender studies, and participatory social practices. Her work highlights the transformative potential of research-based artistic practices in addressing societal issues. Holding degrees in Jazz Saxophone Performance (Franz Liszt Music Academy, Budapest), Music Composition (York University, Toronto), and a PhD in Transdisciplinary Studies of Contemporary Arts and Media (Singidunum University, Be;grade), Jasna combines rigorous academic research with creative output. Internationally recognized for her contributions to artistic research, she has participated in prestigious projects like Ars Electronica, artist residencies in New York and San Francisco, and global collaborations. In 2023, she published the award-winning monograph Good Morning Jazzwomen (Orion Art Books), contributing to feminist musicology and cultural studies. Her recent work as an Adjunct Research Associate at Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa, reflects her commitment to socially engaged arts, where she developed a curriculum in participatory and community-based artistic practices. Jasna’s interdisciplinary approach connects artistic creation, academic research, and cultural activism.
This research investigates the migration of female jazz musicians from the Balkans to Western Europe, focusing on gender inequality, systemic barriers, and socio-cultural dynamics that compel their departure. Combining ethnographic methods, policy analysis, and artistic practice-based research, the project explores how patriarchal norms and male-coded jazz traditions exacerbate exclusion in the Balkans. Through collaborative duo compositions, sonic mapping, and autoethnographic storytelling, the study examines how migration and social reconfiguration shape these musicians’ identities, careers, and creative practices. Additionally, it identifies gaps in cultural policies and proposes strategies for fostering reintegration, challenging the brain drain phenomenon, and revitalizing the Balkan jazz scene. By bridging artistic and academic inquiry, this project contributes to gender equity, circular migration policy, and cultural sustainability in Southeast Europe.

Dr. Ljubisa Bojic is a communication scientist, futurologist, and a leading authority on artificial intelligence (AI) alignment and its societal impacts. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Lyon II, France, in 2014. Currently, he serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the Digital Society Lab, Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade.
Aligning AI for Democratic Resilience: Addressing Digital Challenges in the Balkans through Ethical AI ImplementationThis research project investigates the impact of artificial intelligence technologies—particularly recommender systems and large language models—on democratic processes and social cohesion in the Balkans. As Southeast Europe undergoes rapid digital transformation, the integration of AI presents both opportunities and challenges. While technological advancements foster innovation and economic growth, they also risk exacerbating misinformation, social polarization, and the erosion of democratic values.The primary objective of this project is to develop strategic interventions and policy recommendations that align AI technologies with democratic principles, fostering digital inclusion and strengthening democratic resilience in the region. By critically examining the interplay between AI and democracy, the research aims to contribute to the successful integration of the Balkans into the European digital space, addressing regional security and ethical challenges.Building upon Dr. Ljubisa Bojic’s extensive research in AI alignment, communication science, and the societal impacts of emerging technologies, this project extends prior insights to the specific context of the Balkans. It analyzes how AI-driven platforms shape public discourse and influence political opinions, and how, without robust ethical guidelines and regulatory oversight, these technologies can inadvertently undermine democratic institutions. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with regional stakeholders, the project seeks to propose actionable solutions that ensure AI advancements support democratic resilience rather than hinder it. The anticipated outcomes include a set of policy recommendations, ethical guidelines for AI implementation, and a framework for continuous assessment of AI’s impact on society in the Balkans.

Milo Ivancevic is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Belgrade, specializing in market risk analysis through the application of Artificial Intelligence models. His doctoral journey includes research visits to Royal Holloway, University of London and University of Graz where he collaborated on advanced financial modeling techniques. With over 15 years of experience in quantitative research and financial risk management, he currently serves as a Senior Risk Manager at the Central Bank of Montenegro. His work includes monitoring risks of international reserves, designing frameworks for strategic asset allocation, and developing advanced risk models.Milo holds an MSc in Economics from Staffordshire University, achieved through the prestigious Chevening/OSI scholarship and BA in Economics from the University of Montenegro. His expertise extends to data analysis, financial forecasting, and machine learning, with proficiency in tools like Python, Stata, and Bloomberg. Milo is also an active member of Mensa and the UK Alumni Association of Montenegro, Milo is committed to advancing economic knowledge and fostering global collaborations. His career reflects a dedication to bridging the gap between academic research and practical applications in finance, ensuring stability and innovation in the field.
Digital transformation and its adoption in the Western Balkans face a number of different challenges, including limited technological infrastructure, economic constraints, and low digital literacy. Central banks, which play a crucial role in maintaining financial stability, are not immune to these challenges. Increasing digitization of financial services, particularly through Artificial Intelligence (AI), put significant pressure on the central banks in the region. Central banks must adapt to safeguard against systemic risks such as cybersecurity threats, economic fraud, and financial instability, by inclusion of AI solutions in their operations. However, the current state of AI adoption in the region’s financial sector, especially by central banks, remains underexplored. In the context of the Western Balkans’ growing IT ecosystem and skilled workforce, there is a critical need to understand how AI could be harnessed to improve financial oversight and security. This research aims to fill this gap, by examining the Artificial Intelligence adoption patterns and readiness of Western Balkan central banks compared to more advanced economies, while providing concrete steps to enhance their digital transformation.

Miloš Kovačević is a research associate at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the same university and writes on a range of topics in political philosophy, ethics, and the philosophy of education. Palgrave Macmillan published his latest work, ‘Emancipatory Education Through an Inclusion of Minority Political Views: Exploring the Concept of Indoctrination,’ in the book Rethinking Education and Emancipation: Diverse Perspectives on Contemporary Challenges.
This research explores the potential for implementing Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) in Southeast Europe (SEE), with a focus on Slovenia and Serbia. As SEE face economic challenges such as SME succession issues and youth emigration, ESOPs present a promising solution for democratizing business ownership and enhancing economic stability. Drawing on Rawls’ notion of property-owning democracy and David Ellerman’s labor theory, this research will examine how Slovenia’s ESOP model can be adapted to Serbia. The study will employ a comparative desk analysis, coupled with expert interviews in Belgrade, to provide insights into the feasibility of ESOP adoption in the region. The outcomes will offer both a philosophical and policy-based roadmap to promote workplace democracy and address regional economic disparities. Key deliverables include a scientific paper and a policy analysis report targeting SEE policymakers.

Ognjen Kojanić is an environmental and economic anthropologist with a geographical focus in the former Yugoslavia. He holds a BA in ethnology and anthropology from the University of Belgrade, an MA in sociology and social anthropology from Central European University, and a PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh. He was a Humboldt Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Cologne, a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Freiburg, and a Fellow at the Research Platform “Transformations and Eastern Europe” at the University of Vienna. He has published articles and book chapters dealing with labor, property relations, and class politics; infrastructure and human-environment relations; and the anthropology of European peripheries. His current research lies at the intersection of urban political ecology and infrastructure studies.
The project “Green Change from Below: How Grassroots Relations to Urban Infrastructure Can Shape a Just Green Transition in the Balkans” focuses on decision-making and social contestations related to the infrastructural assemblage in a former wetland area on the north bank of the Danube River in Belgrade. The guiding questions are: How can the grassroots understandings of the relationship between built and natural environment in cities influence green change? Specifically, how can already existing practices in relation to urban infrastructure show the way to positively shape coordinated actions in the Balkans that can drive the green and just transition? Data is collected using a mix of qualitative social science methods including ethnographic participant observation and interviews, archival work, and content analysis to study various aspects of infrastructural management that are relevant to understanding and coming up with responses to key challenges of the green transition in the Balkans. Broadly, the aim is to contribute to scientific knowledge and potential solutions that can inform urban environmental policy in the face of climate change. The research results will be of relevance to policymakers and practitioners who work on urban water and waste management, green infrastructure, and forestry and park services.

Olimpija Hristova Zaevska is the Founder and CEO of Elson Solutions and an expert in green finance, energy transition, and international business. She holds a PhD in International Business and Economics from Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. Olimpija brings academic rigor to consulting and policymaking and is working with development banks and development partners including EBRD, EIB, as well as USAID, GiZ, CIPE and the Ministry of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources of North Macedonia on various projects. She consults on international cooperation and finance mobilization, investments in energy transition and innovation ecosystems. Olimpija often coordinates the work of various technical, energy, grid, financial and investment consultants to provide guidance on economic development or energy investments. Olimpija is also engaged as a green finance and climate risk consultant on greening financial systems in North Macedonia and Ethiopia and serves as green economy reviewer to the UNECE. Previously, as an international economy adviser to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of North Macedonia, Olimpija worked actively with development banks on negotiating and structuring loans, designing state aid, implementing tax reforms, and public finance management.
This research investigates the presence and impact of Industry 4.0 ecosystems (I4ESes) (hubs, accelerators) across the Western Balkan countries and their influence on regional innovation. Utilizing a prior theoretical framework based on ecosystem theorizing, the study will map I4ESes comprising diverse actors, such as firms, universities, and NGOs, focusing on their structure and value creation. It will assess the impact of I4ESes on regional innovation from 2014 to 2023, measuring innovation dynamics and patenting activity using the EU Regional Innovation Scoreboard. The study aims to provide recommendations for enhancing regional innovation and green transitions in WB countries, utilizing I4ESes.

Peter Langford is an Associate Lecturer in Law at Oxford Brookes University, UK. His areas of expertise are in legal and political philosophy, legal sociology, social theory and human rights. Within the areas of legal philosophy and legal sociology, his research has centred upon the work of Hans Kelsen and Max Weber. Within the area of political philosophy, it has focused upon the work of Roberto Esposito (Roberto Esposito: Law, Community and the Political 2015) and Carl Schmitt (Order Crisis and Redemption: Political Theology after Carl Schmitt, co-authored with Saul Newman, 2024). In relation to human rights, his research has concentrated upon normative questions of global justice and human rights, fundamental rights in Gunther Teubner’s sociology of law, non-nationals and the European Convention of Human Rights, and the protection of environmental human rights defenders under the Inter-American Convention of Human Rights.
The objective of the research project is to develop a theory of environmental justice which expresses and reinforces the presence of a notion of environmental justice in the approaches of environmental civil society organisations, environmental grassroots movements and Green or environmental political parties in the Balkans. The research project adopts this particular focus because it understands that it is the existence and activism of these organisations, movements and parties which indicate an important and distinctive understanding of environmental justice. Therefore, that these groups and parties should be accorded a central importance in the wider conceptualisation of the process of Green change. These groups and parties operate in a difficult current context in which they occupy the position of a minority and are increasingly subject to resistance and obstruction. Beyond the clearly illegal and quasi-clandestine forms of fatal and non-fatal violence, threats and intimidation, the other complementary purpose of the project is to emphasise that their orientation to environmental justice requires the guarantee of their civil and political rights. These rights, as fundamental, human rights are those of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. In other words, that these civil and political rights, even insofar as they given formal expression in relevant constitutional provisions, are fundamental human rights. This, in turn, entails that these fundamental rights should prohibit the recourse to substantive domestic criminal law and civil law in order to undermine the capacity for their effective exercise. The project understands the capacity to undermine their effective exercise as a broad one which extends from the explicit prohibition and overt suppression of demonstrations to the use of domestic criminal and civil law by politicians, business owners and corporations against public statements by individual environmentalists and environmental groups. The project, therefore, seeks, in this complementary focus upon human rights, to open a wider discussion of these environmental groups and parties as public environmental human rights defenders.
Born in Zenica in 1986.Safet Kubat holds a PhD in interdisciplinary social sciences from University of Sarajevo (2024) specializing in political ecology with foundations in urban ecology, political economy, and sustainable development. He also has a diploma in public health, a strong background in applied public health research and governance as well as experience in leading interdisciplinary projects on green economy and sustainable urban development in the Balkan area. Safet is a researcher, lecturer, speaker, public worker and a committed political organizer behind one of the biggest and most successful broad-based environmental movements in Bosnia and Herzegovina – “Budi promjena”- with more than 61 thousand members. He combines academic knowledge with activism ensuring that his work leads to real-world impacts. Over 15 years of various social activism, 15 years of professional engagement, with more than 30 published different publications, over 50 implemented projects, hundreds of lectures, and more than 1000 media appearances. In his work he focuses on green policy development and promotion aiming to foster socio-ecological transformation in the Balkan region. He is a regular contributor to international, regional and local environmental forums and academia with insights in sustainable policies and environmental preservation and is collaborating with many international institutions and numerous regional organizations on different research projects and public initiatives. His current research revolves around city modeling with a focus on examining and measuring the socio-ecological footprint of cities in both local and global contexts, and looking at how lower scale local conditions and processes impact and are impacted by planetary boundaries. He is a former UNESCO Champion of Peace and the recipient of the Philanthropic Heart Award in 2024.
Safet’s research focuses on developing a tailored Doughnut Economy model to address key ecological and social challenges in the Balkans. Based on the original Doughnut Economy framework by Kate Raworth and adaptations of the IPE model, the project aims to create a “transformative Doughnut Model” customized for three cities: Zenica, Belgrade, and Rijeka. The model incorporates 33 indicators, such as air pollution, renewable energy use, income inequality, and social satisfaction, to measure and balance ecological sustainability and human well-being. The primary goal is to propose a replicable Balkan Doughnut Model as a tool for public policy, enhance cross-border cooperation, and generate a unifying narrative for the region. By addressing shared challenges, including ecological degradation, political divisions, and socio-economic inequalities, the model seeks to foster trust, unity, and action among citizens, cities, civil society, and the academic community. This interdisciplinary effort will serve as a blueprint for guiding the Balkans toward a sustainable and equitable future, bridging the gap between current unsustainable practices and the safe, just space within the “doughnut.”

Slađana Kavarić Mandić (Podgorica, 1991) is a researcher, activist and poetess. She earned her PhD from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Montenegro, becoming the first female philosopher to complete doctoral studies at Montenegro’s state university. Her primary research interests include Marxism, Praxis philosophy, the philosophy of art, and Critical Theory. She has authored several academic articles and the book Philosophy of Danko Grlić (Belgrade/Zagreb, 2022). As an activist, Slađana co-founded the portal Normalizuj.me, where she contributes columns and organizes socially engaged forums. She is also the author of two poetry collections, People from Nowhere and Pontevedra, with her work translated into English, Slovenian, and Greek.
This research aims to evaluate and re-examine recent artistic actions within the field of ecological art, highlighting their undeniable potential for fostering broader societal emancipation and addressing the issues of unequal development in the Western Balkans. The project seeks to investigate museum exhibitions related to ecological activism, positioning itself as an academic response to the challenges of the green transition, which has been hindered in the Balkans by top-down political and economic strategies. This study will consider vibrant forms of ecological activism within the non-governmental sector as exemplary cases of cross-border cooperation. Furthermore, it will present methodological approaches for encoding ecological awareness within the artistic sphere and museum interventions, thereby universalizing the discourse and providing ideological and aesthetic valuations that amplify the impact of individual ecological victories for further artistic exploration.

Maja Gergorić is a research assistant at the Department of Social Policy, Social Work Study Center, Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, where her research focused on the emergence of anti-gender movements in post-communist Europe. She also holds an MA in Political Science from the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, and an MA in Gender Studies from Central European University. She was a visiting fellow at the Center for Southeast European Studies, University of Graz. Her work explores gender and the radical right in (South)Eastern Europe through the lens of political sociology.

With a background in English and Linguistics (M.A.), Jungian Analytical Psychology (member of the International Association for Analytical Psychology, IAAP), psychotherapy and psychodynamic organisational consulting, Myers has extensive experience with university administration and management, where she has practiced and honed large scale, participatory and inclusive organisational change processes from her various organisational leadership positions: Head of faculty administration and strategic development at the Faculty of Science, University of Southern Denmark (SDU) (2010-2019), strategic leader of SDU’s Gender Equality Team (2017-2023) and EU-project WP-leader and Executive Coordinator (2012-2024). Myers was the main designer of SDU’s strategic GE initiative from 2017 and onwards, the first and most extensive of its kind in Denmark, and acted as national GE expert: as member of the Danish Rectors’ Collegium Task Force on DEI and as speaker and adviser to Danish institutions and the broader academic sector concerning Gender Equality Plans, sexism and integration of the Gender Dimension in Research (2019-2024). Myers has been involved in several EU-funded projects concerning structural change through DEI: one of three initiators of FESTA (FP7) and subsequently project- and WP-leader (2012-2017); Executive Coordinator of SPEAR (H2020 – 2019-2023); WP-leader in INSPIRE, European Centre of Excellence on Inclusive Gender Equality in R&I (HEU – 2022-2024) and Co-chair of Policy Community of Practice in GENDERACTIONplus (HEU – 2022-2024).