Academy
Our Fellows
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Sophia Beiter (Germany)
'A comparative approach to different models of EU integration: How to achieve a citizen-based, enlarged and reformed EU?'
Sophia Beiter, MA, is a Research Associate at the think tank Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) in Vienna. She works on topics related to EU enlargement, democracy, and citizen participation in the EU and was responsible for the EU project ‘Towards Democratic and Inclusive Europe: EP Elections and Active Citizen Participation and Contribution‘ (EUact2). Sophia has published work on transnational lists and the Spitzenkandidaten process in EU elections, as well as on the topic of Schengen. Previously, she studied and worked at the Institute for Slavic Studies at the University of Vienna. In 2024/25, Sophia will be a Fellow of the Charlemagne Prize Academy. In her project, "A Comparative Approach to Different Models of EU Integration: How to Achieve a Citizen-Based and Reformed EU Enlargement Strategy?", she aims to develop a new, more effective, and citizen-oriented enlargement policy. This strategy will be both realistic and beneficial for accession candidates and EU members, incorporating the perspectives of citizens. By doing so, the project will not only contribute to a comprehensive proposal for EU reform but also promote public awareness of the importance of EU enlargement.
Dr Ali Abdelshafy (Egypt/Germany)
'How can the EU achieve 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030?'
Dr Ali Abdelshafy is the head of the research group ‘Climate-neutral Industries’ at the Chair of Operations Management at RWTH Aachen University. He is also a visiting fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) and a Theodore von Kármán Fellow. He completed his PhD at RWTH Aachen University with a dissertation on climate-neutral and circular industrial systems. Ali has an interdisciplinary background, holding a Master’s degree in Management of Resources and Environment and a BSc in Engineering. He has also worked on several energy transition and decarbonisation projects in both the industrial sector and academia. His main research areas include climate-neutral systems, energy-intensive industries, sustainable supply chains, energy transition, and structural changes. During his Charlemagne Prize Academy Fellowship, Ali will investigate the EU mission of achieving 100 climate-neutral cities by 2030. The research study will evaluate the effectiveness of different enablers and assess their impacts on city systems in order to derive a wide range of blueprints that are suitable for various urban contexts across the EU. He will also explore the delicate balance between sustainability and prosperity, along with the key factors that influence this relationship, to optimise both and accomplish the mission efficiently.
Irene Perez Beltran (Spain)
'How can emerging spaces of dialogue with farmers facilitate the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law?'
Irene Perez Beltran holds a degree in International Relations from King‘s College London and recently graduated with a Master‘s in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po Paris. She has prior research experience in international biodiversity governance, the science-policy interface for agrifood systems modeling, and food insecurity. She currently works as a consultant for the UNESCO‘s Partnerships Division. Through her research question, “How can emerging spaces of dialogue with farmers facilitate the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law?”, Irene will engage directly with farmers in Spain and France, linking grassroots-level initiatives with EU agriculture and biodiversity policy.
Dr Toon van Overbeke (Belgium)
'How can we best align taxation regimes to stimulate inclusive automation in Europe?'
Dr Toon Van Overbeke is an assistant professor at Maastricht University in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, where he specialises in the intersection of European studies and the political economy of digital and climate transitions. He completed his BA and MA in history at KU Leuven and earned his MSc and PhD in Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he remains a visiting fellow. Toon‘s dissertation studied why market societies use innovative technologies, such as automation, so differently and how these developments influence trust and political attitudes among European citizens. During his PhD, he was a visiting scholar at KU Leuven and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium.
Elena Bascone (Italy)
'How can we make the global race to the metaverse European-like? Developing a business and policy model to build European industry consortiums'
Elena Bascone is a public policy professional, focusing on future economic and political challenges. Her research spans economic, security, and tech policy. Notably, her master‘s thesis in 2020 developed a model assessing the effectiveness of sanctions, applied to the Council of Europe-Russia dispute. She subsequently explored energy policy (Nord Stream 2 in 2021) and budget policy (EU Commission in 2022). Passionate about computer programming, she partially coded her Future Blog in 2022 and initiated her project, Res Publica, in 2018. In 2023, she delved into immersive technology, securing the Charlemagne Prize Fellowship for a year-long research project on European consortiums and collaboration in the metaverse. Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger, former Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, mentors her, and she has been Visiting Fellow at the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) during her research year.
Yasmina Asrarguis (Morocco)
'Beyond the Abraham Accords: Strategic Opportunities and Challenges in Europe's Pursuit of a Peace Initiative in the Middle East'
Yasmina Asrarguis is currently a researcher on Middle East geopolitics at Sorbonne-Nouvelle in co-supervision with Princeton University. Her research focuses on the Abraham Accords and the geopolitical dynamics of Israeli-Arab normalization since 2020. Her most recent publications with the Foundation Jean-Jaurès include the book: “Israel-Palestine, Year Zero” in which she analyses the impact of war in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. Prior to this, she was a manager at Richard Attias & Associates New York, a practice focused on advising leaders on the content and orchestration of diplomatic meetings. Her previous professional experience also includes serving as part of the Diplomatic Unit of President Macron, the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General and more recently the Cabinet of UNESCO’s Director General joined in 2023.
Dr Miranda Loli (Albania)
'How can the EU engage with its Ukrainian partners in a locally-led corruption-sensitive rebuilding process post war?'
Miranda Loli is a political scientist, specialising in international relations. Her research explores the role of international organisations; she has a keen interest in how local non-governmental actors make space for themselves in the international arena. She is currently a Max Weber Fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre at the European University Institute in Florence, where she is researching how recovery during a war is contested and negotiated in practice. Miranda completed her PhD in 2023 at the University of Darmstadt with a dissertation titled ‘The Translocality of Anti-Corruption Practices: Encounters between the Local and the International in Kosovo and Ukraine’, exploring the intersection between the global fight against corruption and security. Bridging political geography and IR, she introduces a framework to study interactions between different localities and how they affect global governance. Her research has been supported by grants from the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Studies Association (ISA). Prior to her PhD, Miranda studied political science, peace and conflict studies, and sociology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the University of Frankfurt. She has designed and taught several courses on the politics of expertise in global governance, international organisations, and the European Union.
Dr Verónica Relaño Écija (Spain)
'How can the EU reach its objective to legally protect 30% of European seas by 2030?'
Verónica Relaño Écija, holding a PhD in Oceans and Fisheries from the University of British Columbia and mentored by renowned fisheries expert Dr. Daniel Pauly, is deeply committed to marine conservation. Her work focuses on connectivity and addressing socio-ecological challenges arising from the mismanagement of marine resources. Veronica‘s dedication extends beyond academia; she has volunteered for numerous organizations, been actively involved in climate change conferences, and has contributed as a consultant for the World Bank and as a teaching assistant at the University of British Columbia. As the founder and director of the UN Ocean Decade Project "SOS – Somos OceanoS (ocean stories for conservation)," Veronica spearheads initiatives to amplify local voices and foster equitable management in "paper Marine Protected Areas." Her dedication to this cause has been recognized through multiple awards at eco film festivals for her documentaries on Marine Protected Areas, as well as the prestigious Sumaila-Volvo Graduate Prize in Environmental Sustainability. Currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Santiago de Compostela, she investigates Ocean Equity and simultaneously serves as the Oceans Program Director at NGO Onewater.
Sabine Kerssens (NL)
'How can the EU leverage the scientific knowledge through deep tech startups, to strengthen its position & achieve an equitable and resilient reset?'
Sabine Kerssens is a Dutch systems engineer, working for Techleap.nl to accelerate impact by startups. In the past, she has been researching and promoting Dutch startups in getting traction and writing their internationalization strategy. In 2020 she won the SME Week essay competition in her call for one Single Startup Scaleup Market. She also has experience in data analysis, research and as an innovator. She holds an M.Sc. in Innovation Technology from ETH Zurich and an M.Sc. in Engineering and Policy Analysis from TU Delft. This year she will research and support DeepTech startups in and for a changing world with the Charlemagne Prize Academy.
Christoph Erber (GER)
'European Pipe(line) Dreams & Realities: Assessing Future Energy Partnerships and the EU’s Diplomatic Toolkit'
Christoph Erber is Chief of Staff to the Director at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). During his year as a Charlemagne Prize Fellow, he will research prospects of energy diplomacy and international partnerships in the scope of Europe‘s quest towards strategic sovereignty. He previously worked at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), most recently as Senior Program Manager responsible for the conceptual and content coordination of several MSC events and publication formats, where he specialized in topics related to European foreign, security and energy policy as well as transatlantic relations. Christoph completed his master‘s degree in international relations and international economics at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University in Bologna and Washington, DC. During his trilingual bachelor‘s degree in Economics and Political Science at the Free University of Bolzano, he also studied at Bilkent University in Ankara and the University of Washington in Seattle.
Lisa Becker (GER)
'How can the EU leverage space to contribute to resilience, sustainability and security on its path to strategic sovereignty?'
Lisa Becker is currently completing a pre-doctoral research training program at the Humboldt University in Berlin. She obtained an undergraduate and graduate degree in International Security from Sciences Po Paris with study stays abroad in the United States and Russia. She previously gained professional experience in national and international institutions, as well as strategic and crisis management consulting. Within the framework of the Charlemagne Prize Academy fellowship, she will be working on the role of space on Europe‘s path to strategic sovereignty and explore the EU‘s role, opportunities, and risks in the outer space.