Current PhD Candidates
Alexandra Deisler
Project ‘From Principles to Practice: How European Companies Implement the EU Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI in Human Resources’
Supervisors: Dr Katleen Gabriels and Dr Rosine Rutten
Since October 2025
Elena Ventura
Project ‘Transformative Potential: Civil Society Mobilization in EU Enlargement’
Supervisors: Prof Giselle Bosse, Prof Christine Neuhold and Dr Francesca Colli
Since October 2025
Francky Ayosso
Project ‘The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in Practice: Understanding Policy Responses in Key Partner Economies (Türkiye, South Africa, Ukraine, and India)’
Supervisors: Prof Thomas Conzelmann and Dr Francesca Colli
October 2025
Giuseppe Tiralosi
Project ‘Implementing Industrial Policy in the European Union: Aligning Policy Instruments with Market and Territorial Conditions’
Supervisors: Dr Johan Adriaensen and Dr Toon Van Overbeke
Since October 2025
Marianne Lamérand
Project ‘How to Make Women’s Issues Matter? Tracing the Influence of Women’s Interests Groups in European Policymaking’
Supervisors: Prof Christine Neuhold and Dr Iskander de Bruycker
Since October 2025
Marie Ketterlin
Project ‘Unaligned on Palestine. Transatlantic Agents, their Diplomacy and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (1991-2025)’
Supervisors: Prof Hylke Dijkstra and Dr. Nele Marianne Ewers-Peters
Since October 2025
Mattia Gaetano Caruso
Project ‘Europe’s Hamiltonian moment: The issuance of common EU debt and the road to European integration’
Supervisors: Dr Aneta Spendzharova and Janosch Prinz
Since October 2025
Sophie Pornschlegel
Project ‘How has European sovereignty evolved amidst geopolitical shifts? An analysis of a contested concept in EU policymaking from 2020-2025’
Supervisors: Prof Sophie Vanhoonacker and Prof Thomas Conzelmann
Since October 2025
Tamás Berky
Project ‘Evolution and implementation of EU policy on data governance at EU-level and in data ecosystems’
Supervisors: Dr Paul Stephenson and Dr Mariëlle Wijermars
Since October 2024
Hylke de Sauvage Nolting
Project ‘Pivoting away from championing liberal economic policy in the EU? Explaining changing Dutch policy positions to EU foreign economic policy in a geo-economic era’
Supervisors: Prof Thomas Conzelmann and Dr Aneta Spendzharova
Since October 2024
Frederico Cortez
Project ‘Perceived Injustice and Terrorism: Exploring Institutional Influences on Radicalization in Europe’
Supervisors: Dr Luana Russo and Dr Janosch Prinz
Since October 2024
Christos Papagiannis
Project ‘The Role of AI in the Evolution of the EU Economy: A Comparative Analysis of Structural Shifts, Achievements and Challenges’
Supervisors: Dr Toon van Overbeke and Dr Aneta Spendzharova
Since October 2024
Bachir Saleh Azzam
Project ‘Impact of Politicization on the Functioning of Weapons of Mass Destruction-Specialized Intergovernmental Organisations’
Supervisors: Prof Hylke Dijkstra and Dr Yf Reykers
Since October 2023
Pétur Gunnarsson
Project ‘Differentiation and alignment of European non-EU members to EU foreign policy’
Supervisors: Prof Sophie Vanhoonacker and Dr Yf Reykers
Since October 2023
Robert Tyler
Project ‘Historical Memory and Central and Eastern European Countries’ Foreign Policies towards Russia’
Supervisors: Dr Gergana Noutcheva and Dr Ferenc Laczo
Since October 2023
Buddy Janssen
Project ‘Analysing the EU’s approach to cybersecurity as a corner-stone of digital sovereignty’
Supervisors: Dr Paul Stephenson and Dr Marielle Wijermars
Since October 2022
Giorgio Micheletti
Project ‘The EU Digital Policy and the turbulent Road to Digital Sovereignty – An initial Evaluation’
Supervisors: Prof Sally Wyatt and Dr Eli Sapir
Since October 2022
Antonio Spissu
Project ‘Global Stablecoins: the politics of domestic rule-making and international coordination’
Supervisors: Dr Aneta Spendzharova and Dr Toon van Overbeke
Since October 2022
Samuele Crosetti
Project ‘Bank resolution regimes and financial stability: recent evolution, public actors and future challenges’
Supervisors: Prof Esther Versluis and Dr Aneta Spendzharova
Since October 2021
Ann-Kristin Matthé
Project ‘Internationalisation Strategies in higher education – perceptions and practices.’
Supervisors: Dr Patrick Bijsmans and Dr Andreea Nastase
Since October 2021
Susanne Reither
Project ‘EU mission-oriented policies for the transition to sustainable development and the nexus between public investment and private sustainable finance’
Supervisors: Dr Aneta Spendzharova and Dr Elissaveta Radulova
Since October 2021
Tomasz Jerzyniak
Project ‘Energy Power Europe. Can the EU lead the global clean energy transition?’
Supervisors: Dr Anna Herranz Surrallés and Dr Clara Weinhardt
Since October 2020
Aniek Berendsen-Marissink
Project ‘Reweighing the Re-balance.The Effect of External Political Discourse on European Defence Policy Development: the American Re-balance’
Supervisors: Prof Sophie Vanhoonacker and Dr Anna Herranz Surralles
Since October 2019