Alumni Spotlights

Recent PhD graduate projects:

Environmental and Resource Governance (ERG) 
Recent PhD graduates in this field have studied the impacts of social networks in regional environmental regimes through the case of the Carpathian Convention (Marta Vetier); 
the illegal tiger trade in the Amur-Heilong region (Natalia Pervushina); farm animal welfare in Hungary (Mariann Molnár); human rights, land, and governance in America’s Arctic (Mara Kimmel); and governance in Bulgaria's Natura 2000 system (Brendan Duprey). 

Energy Transitions and Climate Change (ETC)
Recent PhD graduates specializing in ETC address issues of the regional securitization of cyber-physical energy systems (Ion Iftimie); socio-political feasibility of low-carbon energy transitions, energy security, and climate mitigation scenarios (Jessica Jewell); socio-political discourse around landmark energy efficient buildings (Sergi Moles); comparative studies of renewable energy uptake (Vadim Vinichenko); productivity impacts of energy efficiency measures (Souran Chatterjee); and transformation of energy systems in slums (Mukesh Kumar Gupta).

Environmental Justice, Politics and Humanities (JPH) 
Recent PhD graduates specializing in JPH have studied the articulation of mining and indigeneity in Russia (Anna Varfolomeeva); the racialized histories and creation of fragmented identities in REDD+ Readiness programs in Guyana and Suriname (Ariadne Collins); contested urban sustainability (Amanda Winter); intersections of climate change and gender policies and practices among small farmers in Nicaragua (Noémi Gonda); and environmental ethics in the writings of Jalal al-Din Rumi (Azim Shamshiev). 

Sustainable Management of Socio-ecological Systems (SES)  
Recent PhD graduates specializing in SES have studied the assessing implementation capacities at the national level for the environmental Sustainable Development Goals (Dora Almassy); the regional civil society engagement and governance in AGENDA 2030 (Simon Olsen); the management effectiveness of biosphere reserves in the Arab region (Diane Matar); water governance and sustainable rural livelihoods in Malawi (Jolly Wasambo); and using fractal analysis to study the resilience and disparity of energy systems in cities (Fouad Khan). 

Resource and Disaster Management and Pollution Control (RMP) 
Recent PhD graduates in this area have studied industrial chemical regulation in the European Union and the United States (Agnes Botos); transition from public to private provision of public services in the water sector (Naira Harutyunyan); transboundary water management and climate change adaptation (Sonja Koeppel) and and assessment of FAO's climate-smart agriculture program (Anastasia Tikhonova). 

Sergio Tirado-Herrero, PhD graduate in 2013

 Sergio Tirado-Herrero

In 2008 when I came to CEU to enroll in the PhD program in Environmental Sciences and Policy I already had a few years of research experience at my home university in Spain – the University of Alcala (Madrid). There I got my first and second degrees (a BSc- and an MSc-equivalent in Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Environmental Economics) and gained my first professional experience as a researcher.

Fiona Borthwick, PhD graduate in 2010

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Fiona studied at CEU from 2003-2010. She then took up a position as Lecturer in Environmental Management at the Scottish Agricultural College in Edinburgh. Fiona lectures in rural land use, environmental management systems, corporate social responsibility and environmental impact assessment. In 2011 she became programme director of the MSc in Food Security, at the school of Geoscience, University of Edinburgh. She is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Jolly Wasambo, PhD graduate in 2011

We are very pleased to announce that Jolly Wasambo received an appointment from the President of Malawi to the position of Environmental and Soil Health Expert within the newly established Green Belt Initiative.

Richard Filcak, PhD graduate in 2007

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Dr. Richard Filcak, graduated in 2007, is a researcher at the Institute for Foresight Studies/Slovak Academy of Sciences.

Aleksandra Novikova, PhD graduate in 2008

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Dr. Aleksandra Novikova, graduated in 2009 is a senior analyst at the Berlin office of the Climate Policy Initiative and a research associate at the German Institute of Economic Research (DIW-Berlin).