How long have you been at ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ and how did you come to join the European Institute?
I joined the EI in 2017, as a student on the MSc Global Europe: Culture and Conflict programme. After I graduated in 2018, I spent a year in Germany before returning in 2019 for my PhD. I just couldn’t stay away!
How has the European Institute changed during your time here?
The number and diversity of MSc programmes offered has increased, the student body grown, we moved into the Centre Building, and new researchers have joined and further expanded how we study and teach about “Europe”. What has stayed the same: the welcoming atmosphere, the interdisciplinary exchange.
What has been the most memorable moment during your time at the EI?
The one that sticks out the most is returning to campus two months after my MSc graduation ceremony to interview for the PhD programme. I was nervous, but stepping inside the department, I felt like I had never been gone – and I knew for sure I wanted to come back. I did not even apply to another PhD programme (which, for the record, is probably not the wisest choice); not because I was sure I would get in, but because I knew I did not want to go somewhere else or work with someone other than Esra Özyürek, my former MSc thesis advisor.
What is your favourite thing about working at the European Institute?
The range of disciplines, topics, methods. I get to learn from colleagues who study FinTech innovations or party politics, who use machine learning or archival research. Rather than siloed away into sometimes arbitrary disciplinary buckets, we get to work alongside and with one another.
Equally important is the willingness to question and challenge what it means to study “Europe”, to diversify and decolonise our approaches. I think this is something that is increasingly featured in the EI’s classes and conversations, and something I want to contribute to myself.
What makes the EI a special place?
The people. Everyone is committed to make this a place where students, staff, scholars can do their best.
What excites you about the future of the EI?
All the students and staff as well as the writing and teaching to come that will further challenge and expand our understanding of "Europe".
What’s your favourite place on ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ campus?
The EI kitchen – the best place for chance encounters with colleagues and visitors, lunchtime breaks, and free tea.
What is your favourite place to visit in Europe and why?
Bookstores. Every city I visit, I find myself in one sooner or later, from Filigranes in Brussels, Shakespeare and Company in Paris, yes, even the countless Waterstones around London, to little, local ones tucked away in side-streets wherever I go. As a PhD student I might have a professional obligation to like books, but I also enjoy just seeing which titles are on display where, to compare cover designs, and, eventually, look for an English-language section.