Persons

Łukasz Dudzic is a trainer and consultant who takes a holistic view of the world. He believes everything is interconnected, which is why he approaches social challenges at a meta-level. Bridging AI education with resilience to civilizational challenges, he helps turn today's visions into the safe reality of tomorrow. With a background in design and communication, he knows how to make complex ideas clear and engaging.

Inez Graduated in marine biology at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and holds a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She also completed postgraduate programs in Science Journalism and documentary filmmaking. She has worked as a strategic advisor of the Dutch Ministry of Water, founded and ran a dive centre focused on marine biology and nature education, and worked as a science journalist and filmmaker. She is currently employed as a Liberal Arts & Sciences teacher at University College Roosevelt in Middelburg (teaching courses on Climate Change, Marine Biology and Documentary Studies) and acts as a member of the provincial parliament of Zeeland (the Netherlands) for PvdA-Groenlinks (Labour-Green-Left). She has been active as trainer for FMS and FEPS over the past years.

Jelena Simic is a Finnish think tank professional focusing on the Western Balkans, democracy and youth engagement. She works with international projects, communications and political trainings.

Alessandro Marcia (He/Him) is a Ph.D. Researcher and Lecturer of EU law at Maastricht University. His research focuses on LGBTIQA+ rights’ protection under EU law. Alessandro holds a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Bologna and an LL.M. in EU law from Université libre de Bruxelles. Before joining UM, he served as a Lecturer of EU law at the China – EU School of Law, based at the University of Hamburg. Alessandro is also an activist for European integration and LGBTIQA+ rights. He is a member of the Global LGBTQI+ Changemakers Network established by the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard University. He also runs the newsletter Europe and LGBTIQA+ Rights.

Ece Özbey is a doctoral researcher in Comparative Politics and a lecturer at the University of Cologne, where she is pursuing her PhD on populist contagion and anti-populism in the United Kingdom. Her research spans Euroscepticism, political competition, radicalization, and democracy, with a primary focus on European democracies. She holds an MSc in European Studies and a BSc in International Relations. Ece is also the Co-Managing Editor of the Review of Democracy, the journal of the Central European University’s Democracy Institute, where she previously worked as a Global Forum for Democracy and Development Fellow. She is affiliated with the METU Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence and has published on European integration and EU–Turkey relations. She has also held visiting positions at academic institutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Chile and is actively involved in various international research networks, including OPUS Initiative and Team Populism.

Isabel Hernandez Pepe is a PhD candidate in Transnational Governance at the Scuola Normale Superiore and the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. Her work explores how feminist foreign policy plays out in practice, and why progressive ideas often collide with power hierarchies and institutional routines. With a transnational background between Europe and Latin America, Isabel engages closely with policymakers, diplomats, and feminist activists, and cares about connecting research, policy, and real political struggles. She holds a B.A. in Global and Latin American Studies (summa cum laude) and an M.A. in International Public Affairs (cum laude).

Dr Monika de Silva is an international relations scholar and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Gothenburg. She executes research projects on EU-Global South relations and postcolonial justice and on contestation of gender equality. She is interested in normative contestation in European internal and external relations amidst global power shifts, with a particular focus on diplomacy, human rights, global justice, legal norms, and gender and sexuality. Her professional experience includes work in the European External Action Service, the Council of Europe, and the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She holds a PhD in political science (University of Gothenburg), an Advanced MA in international relations and diplomacy of the EU (College of Europe), and a Master of Law (University of Warsaw). Her work has been published in outlets such as International Studies Quarterly, European Journal of International Relations, Journal of European Public Policy, and Politics & Governance.