Graduate Profiles

Mgr. Radka Rubilina, Ph.D.

"Because I have studied two colleges at the same time, it's still a mystery to me that I have come to the last year of my Master's degree. Russian Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy offered me a profound insight into Russian culture, while IMS enabled me to settle events into a wider context. In my opinion, this was a unique combination, and to this day it allows me to perceive events at a distance and on a wider, international scale. "

Radka Rubilina (Bzonková) is an evaluator, diplomat, and literary scholar. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Konstanz (Germany). Her long-term professional focus lies in the field of human rights, democratization processes, and cultural diplomacy in the post-Soviet region.

She served as a Human Rights and Rule of Law Officer with the OSCE Mission to Armenia (2013–2017), and subsequently as a Human Rights Adviser to the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia (2017–2020), seconded by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2007 to 2011, she led Eastern European democratization programs at the NGO People in Need. She has extensive experience in evaluating and consulting on international development, human rights, and cultural cooperation projects. She is a member of both the Czech and the European Evaluation Society.

From 2020 to 2023, she served as Director of the Czech Centre in Kyiv. Since 2024, she has been based in Bulgaria, where she leads a cultural institution focused on audiovisual media and art in public space, and is involved in the international project Transformative Urbanism (Veliko Tarnovo), supported by the EUNIC network.

Her academic work focuses on Russian culture, particularly the literature of Stalinist labor camps, as well as the cultural and political legacy of the post-Soviet space. She translates literary texts from Russian, Ukrainian, and Bulgarian into Czech, and is active as an editor and literary critic. She is the editor of Jen jeden osud (Academia, 2009) and Anna Barkova – Osm hlav šílenství (Prostor, 2015). She has published two poetry collections of her own: Laciná romantika (Cheap Romance, Dauphin, 2017) and Balcik (Dauphin, 2024).

 

PhDr. Tomáš Jelínek, Ph.D

"I'm very fond of studying at IMS, especially in an inspiring academic environment with lecturers who have supported us not only in our professional growth but also in creating our value orientation."

Tomáš Jelínek has been Director of the Czech-German Fund of the Future since 2015. Between 1999 and 2000, he participated in negotiations on compensation for victims of slave labor and was responsible for its implementation in the Czech Republic within the CNFB. Tomáš Jelínek is a substitute member of the board of the German Federal Foundation EVZ, works in the international advisory board of the Topographie des Terrors Foundation in Berlin, and is also a co-founder of the public service company Živá paměť (Living Memory). In his scientific work, he focuses on the history of compensation for the victims of Nazism.

Mgr. Jana Fašinová

"At the Department of German and Austrian Studies, I began to study IMS at a time when the word "deportation" was still used instead of "expulsion." I am very grateful for meeting with great professors and experts who have opened new perspectives to students in modern history and the whole of Central Europe."

Jana Fašinová is a graduate of German and Austrian studies at IMS FSV UK (2001). After completing her studies, she gained experience in investment banking in Frankfurt am Main for nine years, where she established herself during an exchange period under the EU Socrates programme. After the election to the European Parliament in 2009, she became assistant to MEP Martin Kastler (CSU), who, as chairman of Ackermann Gemeinde, actively worked in the field of Czech-German relations. Since 2012, she has been employed as a financial advisor in the political faction of the European People's Party in the European Parliament.

Mgr. Pavel Gruber

"I studied at IMS in the first year of its foundation, and at that time IMS was based in three different locations in Prague, and in accordance with the overall atmosphere at that time, IMS was extremely open, formally unbound and above all, inspiring and enriching. I am still benefiting from the many things I have gained at IMS and up to today I really like to remember some of the most exciting professors."

Pavel Gruber is a graduate of Russian and East European Studies. He completed his degree in 1998. Already during his studies, he became involved in humanitarian work – his first mission took place in 1996 during the conflict in Bosnia, with the organization People in Need. After several years working in the private sector (logistics and media), he returned to humanitarian aid in 2006. At Caritas Czech Republic, he served as Head of Mission in Indonesia, later coordinated programs in Southeast Asia, and eventually led the department of humanitarian and development cooperation.

From 2011 to 2020, he was Director of the Czech section of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). He later served with MSF as a COVID-19 response coordinator and in the context of the war in Ukraine.

He also has experience in advocacy and political strategy – he was Chair of the Board of the Czech NGO platform FoRS and worked as a campaign manager for the Czech Pirate Party in 2021. Between 2022 and 2023, he served as Director General of the organization Ministr Zdraví. Since 2023, he has been the Director of Amnesty International Czech Republic.

Mgr. Veronika Rajmanova 

Veronika Rajmanova is a graduate of the Bachelor's programme in Area Studies. Since 2025, she has served as Head of Communication at the Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM. Throughout her career, she has focused on European politics, public communication, and the media. Between 2022 and 2024, she headed the Prague office of MEP Luděk Niedermayer, where she was responsible for communication with the public, media, and expert partners. At the same time, she worked as a foreign policy analyst for the weekly Euro and as an editor at Czech Radio Plus.

She has been professionally connected to the European Parliament since 2014, first as an assistant to a Member of Parliament and later as a communication manager in Brussels. She also gained experience in European affairs as a representative of the Liberec Region to the EU. She began her professional career as a journalist, working for Czech Television (ČT24), Czech Radio's Radio Wave, and the news website Aktuálně.cz.

JUDr. PhDr. Petr Mlsna, Ph.D.

"Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences helped me to look at the world in a complex way, so that things, information, and events are not isolated phenomena, but always part of a wider whole. The faculty helped me to think in a critical way, which one often appreciates only with increasing age. "

Petr Mlsna is a graduate of the Faculty of Law at Charles University and completed the German and Austrian Studies programme at the Institute of International Studies in 2003. He has long been active in public administration and legislative work. He previously served as Deputy Minister at the Ministries of Justice, Education, and the Interior, and held the positions of Chairman of the Government Legislative Council and Minister without Portfolio in 2012–2013.

Since 2020, he has been serving as the President of the Office for the Protection of Competition. Prior to that, he was Deputy Minister of the Interior in charge of legislation and archives. He has also been active in academia; since 2004, he has taught at the Department of Constitutional Law at the Faculty of Law, Charles University. He is the author of publications in constitutional, administrative, European, and international law, and is a recipient of the Leopold Heyrovský Medal awarded by the Faculty of Law.

Bc. Anna Deb Kunová, MSc 

Anna Deb Kunová is a graduate of the Bachelor's programme in International Area Studies at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. She also studied Politics at the University of Economics in Prague and earned an MSc degree in Anthropology and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She currently works as a Senior Research Analyst at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York. In the past, she worked as an Evaluation and Research Consultant for Tetra Tech in Warsaw and Prague, as a researcher at the Agency for Social Inclusion under the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic, and as a freelance Evaluation Specialist. She also held short-term positions as an Advocacy Officer at People in Need and as a Field Project Coordinator at People in Need Slovakia in Kenya.

PhDr. Jan Šnaidauf, M.A.

"My undergraduate studies at IMS FSV opened the door to a world of academic discussion, theoretical thinking, and social science research – and the conclusions that follow from it. It stood in stark contrast to the high school understanding of the world as something predetermined, explained, factual – something to be learned once and for all. In other words, studying at IMS brought the dazzling realization that nothing is simply given and that everything can and indeed must be examined and reflected upon critically. This applied to history, sociology, political science – to the whole range of subjects taught at IMS. What made this experience even more valuable was how well it complemented my second, more narrowly specialised programme at another faculty, which gave me specific expertise, but could not offer the same kind of broad perspective. ‘Perspective’ – or rather ‘insight’ – is the word I most associate with my time at IMS. I dare say that it played a fundamentally important role in shaping the way I think. Beyond that, I can name many acquaintances and friends I met during my studies whom I later encountered again in my professional life – and this “network effect” proved very valuable. And not only that: the ‘label’ of an FSV graduate has always felt like a very solid credential in the Czech professional environment. Based on my own experience, I can sincerely recommend studying at IMS.”

Jan Šnaidauf served from 2020 to 2024 as Director of the Department of Foreign Policy Analysis and Planning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Before that, he led the Foreign Minister’s advisory team and briefly headed the Minister’s Cabinet. From 2014 to 2018, he was Head of the Political and Economic Section at the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Within the European External Action Service, he focused on Middle East affairs and served in the cabinet of EU High Representatives Javier Solana and Catherine Ashton. In 2024, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to Iraq.

He remains a member of the Ministry’s Strategy and Analyses Office. Since 2008, he has also taught international relations and European studies at the Metropolitan University in Prague.

Before joining the Ministry, he worked as Project Coordinator at the Forum 2000 Foundation, where he led a project on water resources in the Middle East. For eight years, he was a researcher and Vice-Chair at the Association for International Affairs (AMO), where he specialised in Middle East politics, Islam, and democratisation processes. From 2006 to 2008, he regularly appeared as a commentator on Czech Radio.

He holds an M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London; a PhDr. in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies from the Faculty of Arts, Charles University; and a Bachelor’s degree from the Institute of International Studies, FSV UK. He also studied in Cairo, Berlin, and Washington, D.C.

Bc. Barbora Mašínová, MSSc

Barbora Mašínová is a graduate of the Bachelor's programme in International Area Studies at IMS. She obtained her Master's degree at Uppsala University in Sweden in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies. Since 2017, she has been working at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she focuses on programme management in humanitarian operations. She has worked in Zambia, the USA, South Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, and since 2023, she has been heading the Programme section of UNHCR in Italy, where she is responsible for protection and integration assistance for refugees and asylum seekers throughout the country.

Her professional experience covers both emergency situations and protracted refugee contexts, in camp and urban settings, including crises in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Venezuela, and South Sudan.

Before joining UNHCR, she worked as a field office coordinator for Caritas Czech Republic in Zambia, where she contributed to the local integration of former refugees.

PhDr. Štěpán Černý

"IMS is, in my view, an ideal qualification for working in an international environment and for the state and the European administration. Here, they teach you to focus on foreign language both in spoken and written form, they support critical and analytical thinking and provide a vast social science foundation which is very unique in the Czech Republic. Straddling between various scientific fields also enables us to see the world in context and not just from the limited perspective of one's own field. I am also grateful for the inspirational and enthusiastic lecturers who are able to attract and involve those who perhaps haven't realized yet that they actually have a passion for the Albanian National Revival. I cannot forget my fellow students and the rich social life that accompanies the graduates throughout their studies and even after them, often also all the way to adulthood."

Štěpán Černý is a graduate of the Bachelor's programme in International Area Studies and the follow-up Master's programme in European Studies at the Institute of International Studies, which he completed in 2010. Already during his studies, he was involved in preparations for the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2009, serving as a liaison coordinator.

Since 2014, he has been working at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, where he specializes in the coordination of European policies. He has successively held the positions of Head of the COREPER I Unit and Director of the Department for Coordination of European Policies. In 2022, he was appointed Director General of the European Section, where he is responsible for coordinating the European agenda across central administrative authorities, representing the Czech Republic within EU institutions, and shaping the strategic direction of European policies. Between 2018 and 2019, he also briefly served as Acting Deputy Minister for European Affairs.

He has been long involved in youth work through the international organization YMCA. Since 1999, he has volunteered in the movement and from 2012 to 2020 served as Vice President of the YMCA Europe. He was also a member of its Executive Committee and coordinated European youth programmes.

Mgr. Zuzana Sádlová, MBA

Zuzana Sádlová is a graduate of the Bachelor's programme in International Area Studies and the follow-up Master's programme in German and Austrian Studies at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. She furthered her education through study stays at Universität Hamburg and the University of Economics in Prague, where she earned an MBA in the Executive MBA programme.

Since 2024, she has been working at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER), focusing on infrastructure and regional cooperation. Previously, she served as Energy Industry Manager at the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic, where she advocated for a sustainable energy and climate policy framework for Czech industry. For more than six years, she worked at ČEZ Group, concentrating on EU regulation, electricity retail market development, renewable energy, and mobility.

Her professional focus includes energy market regulation, European climate policy, renewables, and international energy cooperation. She was Vice-Chair of the Retail Market Design Working Group at Eurelectric and contributed to the European Commission’s Smart Grids Task Force on data interoperability.

In addition to her institutional and industry experience, she has been a visiting lecturer at Hochschule Amberg-Weiden since 2022, where she teaches EU and international energy and climate policy within the English-language master’s programme in energy engineering.

PhDr. Petr Pojman PhD

"For me, studies at IMS study have been an important input into the complex issues of the present. It's worth recognizing and recommending the very good opportunities for studying and doing research abroad. Those who are interested will also get the opportunity to find their "issues" here. The FSV UK as a whole is also a place where I´ve met people who I still maintain friendly and working relationships with. Lately, it has been very pleasant to meet old acquaintances during complicated work in restless Ukraine.”

Petr Pojman is a criminologist and political analyst specializing in organized crime, human trafficking, and security challenges in the post-Soviet region and sub-Saharan Africa. He graduated from the Institute of International Studies at Charles University, where he also completed his Ph.D. in International Area Studies. His academic experience includes research stays at institutions in St. Petersburg, the University of Kent, and the University of Hamburg.

Since 2010, he has worked as an independent expert on analytical, research, and monitoring projects for academic institutions, governments, NGOs, and international organizations. He has served as an election observer in Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Sierra Leone, and worked as a monitoring officer for the OSCE in the Donbas region.

Pojman is a founding member of the Czech Society of Criminology (2012), where he served on the board until 2022. He regularly lectures at universities in the Czech Republic and abroad and contributes to public discussions on organized crime and security. His research focuses on the evolution of organized crime into a global, bureaucratic system that undermines democratic governance and human rights.

Mgr. Kateřina Fričová

Kateřina Fričová is a graduate of both the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in International Area Studies at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. As part of the Erasmus+ programme, she also studied at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

Since 2019, she has worked at the British Embassy in Prague, first as a Political Support Officer and now as a Senior Trade Adviser focusing on Food & Drink, Financial Services, and Education. Her role involves supporting UK companies entering the Czech market, identifying export opportunities, and assisting with regulatory challenges. She also helps manage the embassy’s internal operations, including budgeting and internship programmes.

Mgr. Luboš Veselý

"To me, IMS is especially great teachers who worked or are working here and who will teach you to  think and write about the history and the present of the countries in our surroundings."

Luboš Veselý is a graduate of Russian and East European Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague. In 2001–2002, he worked at the Foreign Affairs Department of the Office of the President of the Czech Republic, focusing on Central and Eastern Europe and international organizations. He later served as a coordinator at the Center for Democracy and Human Rights of People in Need, managing projects in Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova.

In 2006–2007, he was the Director of the Research Center of the Association for International Affairs (AMO), where he is also one of the founding members and has served as both Vice-Chairman and Chairman. In 2009, he was appointed Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Czech-Polish Forum. Between 2010 and 2014, he worked as a political officer at the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Kyiv.

He is a graduate of the Robinson-Martin Security Scholars Program (2002) and the Marshall Memorial Fellowshipin the United States (2007).

Mgr. Natalie Vaidišová 

Natalie Vaidišová holds a Master’s degree in Russian, Central European and East European Studies and a Bachelor’s degree in International Area Studies from the Institute of International Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University.

She currently works as a Fellowship Programme Officer at the Prague Civil Society Centre, where she previously held roles in communications. In addition to coordinating fellowships, she has contributed to public relations, content creation, and event management.

Natalie has been involved in projects focusing on Russian disinformation and security policy at the European Values Center for Security Policy and the Warsaw Institute. She also gained professional experience at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Czech Centres in Kyiv, and the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic.

Mgr. Martin Palán

"The studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University gave me the ability to educate myself systematically, to recognize priorities in work tasks and to expand my cultural, human and academic horizons. In my professional and private life, I profited and am still profiting from the knowledge I gained throughout my studies."

At the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Charles University, he graduated from the Institute of International Studies in the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes, which he finished at the Department of German and Austrian Studies in 2006 by a state´s exam. During his studies, he worked actively in student organizations and was a member of the Control and Conciliation Commission of the Student Union of Charles University, he regularly presented Majáles (a traditional spring air festival for young people) and other cultural events in Prague and Brno, played at Na Prádle Theater and was a member of the music group “Řekla NE!” ("She said NO!").

Currently, he is an owner and chairman of the board of directors of the film company Bontonfilm. He became the CEO in 2012. Bontonfilm is, amongst others, the exclusive distributor of the  Hollywood major studios 20th Century Fox, Sony and Universal in the field of Home Entertainment and it is a key film company on the Czech and the Slovak market.

Interview with Martin Palan in the journal Sociál.

Talkshow Martin Palán with Tomáš Sedláček, Tomáš Zima and Dominik Kotyza.

Mgr. et Mgr. Lucie Vinarska 

Lucie Vinarska is a graduate of both the bachelor's and follow-up master's programmes in International Area Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, where she specialized in European Studies. She also earned a master's degree in Law from the Faculty of Law at Charles University.

In 2024, she joined the European Commission in Brussels as a Legal and Policy Assistant, having previously worked there as a Blue Book Trainee and Policy Assistant. She gained her professional experience through internships at several Czech ministries – Foreign Affairs, Finance, and Health – and at the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York. She also worked at the European Parliament in the office of MEP Luděk Niedermayer and at the EUROPEUM think tank. In addition, she has experience in legal administration and project work in the non-profit sector.

PhDr. Jan Marian

“Thanks to my studies at IMS FSV UK, I have met a number of great and interesting people among teachers and fellow students. I really appreciated the open atmosphere and the opportunity to discuss with our teachers. Likewise, I appreciated the possibilities of study abroad stays and the space for my own activities.”

Jan Marian is a graduate of Russian and East European Studies at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University. He also completed a study stay at Durham University in the UK. Over the years, he has worked in several Czech NGOs and think tanks, including the Association for International Affairs (AMO), People in Need, and the Prague Security Studies Institute.

Since 2008, he has been employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, focusing on Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His diplomatic career includes positions at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU in Brussels, head of the unit for the Eastern Partnership, Belarus and Russia, and a diplomatic posting at the Czech Embassy in Moscow. In 2022, he was appointed Special Envoy for the Eastern Partnership and, since 2023, he has been serving as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. From 2019 to 2023, he also lectured at the Department of Russian and East European Studies at Charles University and served as a Transatlantic Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C.

Jan Marian on the Eastern Partnership.

Mgr.Tereza Mádlová

"What have the studies at IMS brought me? What I appreciate the most and am often aware of are the outlook and a critical attitude. At the same time, thanks to school, I got to the Balkans and to good people! Already during my studies at IMS, I have been devoted to children and the nonprofit sector, which has become, in a positive sense, my destiny. I traveled to international workcamps mainly in the Balkans, which is a matter of my heart. I also volunteered intensively in Bohemia - I had given remedial classes to children from socially weak families and foreigners, organized camps and leisure time activities for them. My work path led from work at a bar and the Waldorf Kindergarten to the organization People in Need in Kladno. More about my "mission" in a short article. At present, I work at the Via Foundation as a project manager, where I am very happy about the people I meet. I enjoy watching the world, how colorful it is and how brave people can be. In the Foundation, I focus on issues of development and non-profit education, personal development and social entrepreneurship." 

Bc. Jan Lipavský

Jan Lipavský holds a bachelor's degree in International Area Studies from IMS. As a part of his studies, he spent a year at the University of Kent in the United Kingdom. Already during his university years, he developed a strong interest in foreign, security, and defence policy, which later became central to his political career. 

From 2017 to 2021, he served as a Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic for the Czech Pirate Party. He held the positions of Vice-Chairman of both the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Defence Committee, and was also a member of the Standing Commission on Hybrid Threats and subcommittees focusing on cyber, defence, and migration policy. His areas of expertise include energy security, hybrid threats, and international relations. 

Before entering politics, he worked in the private sector as an ICT manager and analyst, specializing in banking and capital markets. He gained professional experience at companies such as McKinsey & Company, Euro RSCQ, ZOOT, and Total Solutions. 

Since December 2021, he has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. 

Mgr. Lucie Para

Lucie Para is a graduate of the Bachelor's programme in International Area Studies at the Institute of International Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, and holds a Master's degree in Regional and Urban Strategies from the prestigious Sciences Po in Paris. Her professional path combines themes of sustainable local development, urban planning, and heritage site management.

After eight years in France, where she led the Pôle international francophone, an international training and exchange centre for heritage site managers, she returned to Prague in 2019. Since then, she has been working at the Prague Institute of Planning and Development. She first served as a Strategy and Development Specialist, later became Head of the Strategy and Development Office, and since 2021 she has held the position of Deputy Head of the Department for Strategies and Sustainability Policies. Her work focuses on strategic planning documents, interdisciplinary cooperation, and benchmarking Prague within the European context in terms of quality of life and urban development.

PhDr. Jakub Szántó

"An interdisciplinary mix of international relations, politics, and modern history, as offered by IMS FSV UK, has prepared me very well for the work of a journalist. Understanding the mechanisms of international politics and their historical connections makes it easier for me orientate myself on a daily basis to the at first glance incomprehensible history of the current the Far East and, in a broader perspective, of the whole world. In addition, a number of my former fellow students today have significant positions in government, the non-profit and private sectors, which again makes it easier to access  information, the most valuable commodity in my profession."

Jakub Szántó is a graduate of the Bachelor's degree in International Area Studies at IMS FSV UK and of the Master's degree in West European Studies at FSV UK. Over the past 15 years, he has specialized in the Middle East region. He first worked at TV Nova. Since 2006, he is a reporter of the foreign section of Česká Televize (Czech Television). He also regularly contributes to the Czech weekly magazine Reflex and other periodicals. His news coverage included, for example, the change of the Ukrainian regime in 2004 and 2014, the Georgia-Russia war in 2008, the civil war in Syria and Lebanon, or the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and, above all, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jakub Szántó for Social, student magazine FSV UK.

Jakub Szántó in an interview for Ffakt, the student magazine of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University.

Interview for Radiožurnál.

PhD. Jessie Barton Hronešová

Jessie Barton Hronešová is a political scientist specializing in transitional justice, memory politics, and political transformation in Central and Southeast Europe. She currently works as a Lecturer in Political Sociology at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES), University College London. 

She completed her doctoral studies (DPhil in Politics) at the University of Oxford, where she researched the uses and abuses of war reparations in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her work challenges mainstream assumptions in transitional justice literature and highlights how compensation mechanisms can be politicized by ethno-national elites.

Previously, she held research and teaching positions at institutions including the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Marie Curie Global Fellow. She has also worked for organizations such as the OSCE, Chatham House, People in Need, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

Dr. Barton Hronešová’s research has a strong applied dimension and is grounded in extensive fieldwork, particularly in Bosnia and Serbia. She regularly comments on Balkan politics in international media and has published widely on nationalism, identity, and democratization in post-conflict societies.

She holds an MPhil in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford and an MRes in Government from the London School of Economics. Her academic journey began with a BA in International Area Studies at Charles University in Prague.

Interview for Social magazine. Website.

Mgr. Jan Plešinger

"For me was the study of Russian and Eastern European Studies at the IMS the right springboard for an interesting and rich career in international organizations, diplomacy, and work in conflict areas. The historical, political and linguistic background I have acquired at the IMS has been for me to this day, the “font of wisdom” from which I still draw."

Jan Plešinger completed his studies of Russian and East European Studies at the IMS FSV UK with a Master's degree in 2000. He then studied in New York, where he received the International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (The Centre for International Health & Cooperation under auspices of the City University of New York, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and University of Geneva.). At present, he is dedicating himself to long-term postgraduate studies in the field of International Development Studies at the Faculty of Science of the Palacký University in Olomouc.

Jan Plešinger has been Deputy Head of the OSCE mission in Moldova since 2011. The main mandate of the mission is to mediate negotiations between the parties of the Transnistrian conflict and to find a possible solution. In addition, the mission addresses other security issues, including military, political, legal, environmental, media and human right matters. In 2008-2011 Jan Plešinger was Deputy Ambassador in Kosovo at the Czech Embassy in Pristina. In 2006-2008, he worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Moldova. Previously, he was employed in the organization People in Need, where he led, among other things, humanitarian missions in the northern Caucasus (Chechnya and Ingushetia) and Kosovo. In 2002, Jan Plešinger co-founded the NGO Platform of the Czech Forum for Development Cooperation (FoRS); he is the author of its name and logo.

From public appearances:

Interview in Russian on the Moldovan private news station.

Interview on the programme "Before midnight" on CT 24.

Mgr. Blanka Soulava, M.P.P. 

Blanka Soulava is a graduate of the Bachelor's program in International Area Studies at IMS. She later earned a Master in Public Policy degree from Harvard Kennedy School, where she focused on international and global affairs. During her studies, she was awarded two prestigious fellowships - the John F. Kennedy Fellowship and the Graham T. Allison, Jr. Student Fellowship.

Professionally, she focuses on the digital transformation of public administration, international policy, and public interest. She currently serves as Digital Policy Lead at the civic tech initiative Česko.Digital, where she is responsible for the strategic direction of the project Služby.Digital. Previously, she worked at the Office of the Government of the Czech Republic, including in the role of Head of the European Digital Agenda Unit, where she contributed to shaping digital policies both in the Czech Republic and the European Union. 

Blanka has gained international experience as a negotiation coach and research associate at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She also collaborated on digital government research at the Harvard Ash Center. During the Ukrainian refugee crisis in 2022, she coordinated a large network of volunteers in the Czech Republic. Her past experience includes work in the European Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, the CzechTourism agency, and several international organizations. 

 

PhDr. Jan Havlík M.A.

In addition to the studies themselves, the studies at the IMS have given me, first of all, the opportunity to understand and connect knowledge from different disciplines and also to partly study abroad. The IMS is unique in the fact that  graduates often stick together even after their studies, which is revealed in my work almost every day."

PhDr. Jan Havlík, M.A. is a graduate of European Studies at the IMS FSV UK (2007) and the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris III (2006). Since 2012, he is the Director of the European Affairs and Internal Market Department of the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade, where he has long been involved in removing barriers to the EU internal market and is engaged in the regulation (or rather deregulation) of some sectors of the Czech economy in connection with the emergence of the so-called sharing economy.

In the past, he was also an Assistant to MEP Zelenika and worked in the CZ PRES Coordinators' team at the Ministry of the Environment. In Norwegian Oslo, he worked as a Project Coordinator of the Bellona Foundation in a geological CO2 storage team.

Michaela Valentová, Ph.D. 

Michaela Valentová is a researcher in the field of energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague, where she has been working since 2010. Her long-term research focuses on energy policy, decision-making processes in sustainable energy, and the economic assessment of renewable energy sources.

She also serves as an external expert for the European Commission, where she works with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) to evaluate National Energy and Climate Plans and Long-Term Renovation Strategies. Previously, she worked as a consultant at SEVEn – The Energy Efficiency Center, focusing on energy policy assessment, energy efficiency services, and Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) both in the Czech Republic and across the EU.

In 2013, she earned her Ph.D. in Economics and Management from the Czech Technical University. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences and Policy from the Central European University and completed her undergraduate studies in International Area Studies at the Institute of International Studies (IMS), Charles University, as well as in International Business at the University of Economics in Prague.

She gained further international research experience as an affiliated researcher at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and during a traineeship at the European Commission.

Mgr. Petr Matolín

"The IMS has brought me a number of extremely interesting, intelligent and capable friends and contacts, and I have had the opportunity to study what I enjoy, gaining practical experience in the given region. I also gained some flexibility and the ability to effectively solve problems; I previously had no idea whatsoever that some of them even existed. Finally, I mustn't forget the hard work, fervor, and enthusiasm of some of the IMS lecturers, which was more than inspirational. "

Petr Matolín is a graduate of the Russian and East European Studies at the IMS FSV UK (2012). After completing his studies, he joined the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic as an International Relations Coordinator. Since March 2014, he has worked as Head of Strategy and Analysis. He succeeded in establishing new international partnerships and in developing international cooperation of the Czech Technology Agency to such an extent that in 2015 the first international projects of applied research and experimental development supported by the Czech Technology Agency of the Czech Republic should be supported.