The European University Viadrina (EUV) is located in the German-Polish twin city of Frankfurt (Oder)-Słubice. Re-established as a German-Polish university after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1991, the Viadrina is a fundamentally European project aiming to build bridges to neighboring Poland and other Eastern European countries. In pursuit of this vision, the Viadrina has since become a strong research hub for European Studies and European Integration, employing a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives such as political and cultural sciences, economics, and law.
Team members
Timm Beichelt
Dr. Timm Beichelt is a Professor of European Studies at the European University Viadrina. With a degree and a doctorate in political science from Heidelberg University, Timm works at the intersection of political science and cultural studies. His teaching and research focus on Democracy and Autocracy in Central and Eastern Europe, European Union Politics, Politics and Football, and Emotions in Politics. © Heide Fest
Estela Schindel
Dr. Estela Schindel has a Cultural Studies and Communications degree from the University of Buenos Aires and completed her PhD (FU Berlin) and Habilitation (Viadrina) in Sociology. Estela is an associate professor and senior researcher at the Europa University Viadrina, as well as the scientific coordinator of the Viadrina Institute for European Studies (IFES). Her research interests include theories and representations of violence, (im)mobility and border regimes, biopolitics, decolonial critique, and the nature/culture relation in the Anthropocene. © Heide Fest
Amelie Kutter
Dr. Amelie Kutter is a senior lecturer and researcher at the Viadrina's unit for interdisciplinary European Studies. Her research focuses on legitimation and peripheralization in the European Union, crisis and socio-ecological change, drawing on EU studies, political sociology, discourse studies, and political economy. She holds a PhD in political science co-tutelled at Viadrina and Lancaster University. She has published on EU accession of central and Eastern Europe, EU crises, and political legitimacy and political subjectivities in the EU's postnational context. Together with Dr. Kolja Lindner (UP8), she runs the first ValEUs workshop on critical perspective on European values. © Ursula Czerska
Chiara Pierobon
Dr. habil. Chiara Pierobon holds a bi-national PhD in Sociology and Social Research from the University of Bielefeld (Germany) and the University of Trento (Italy). Her expertise includes EU’s civil society support in Central Asia, sustainable development, prevention of violent extremism (PVE) and resilience. She previously held academic positions at the University of Washington (USA), Otto-von-Guericke University (Germany), and Asia-Europe Institute (Malaysia) and has been a Visiting Scholar at institutions in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Geny Piotti
Dr. Geny Piotti is the Head of EU Research Affairs at the European University Viadrina and oversees all strategic and operational activities connected to EU projects. Geny supports researchers in the preparation of funding applications and the administration of EU projects. Before establishing the EU office at the Viadrina, Geny built an extensive professional resume as a researcher in the social sciences and Science Officer for Cost in Brussels.
Nico Hallmann
Nico Hallmann is the Administrative Project Coordinator of ValEUs. He supports Professor Timm Beichelt in the project's day-to-day management and is the primary contact point for the ValEUs partners. Nico is a graduate of a Dutch-German master's program in European Studies and has a professional background in the management of EU funded projects.
Rosa Skiba
Rosa Skiba is a Student Assistant at the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences. She brings a rich background in voluntary work to her role. This experience has honed her ability to discern and address issues surrounding social equality, climate protection, and anti-democratic aspirations. Her academic focus on law is complemented by a strong interest in human rights, migration, and climate justice. As part of the ValEUs team, she assists in managing and communicating the project.