Filip Ejdus
Head of the Centre
Filip Ejdus is an Associate Professor in International Security at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Political Science. He studies how identity, memory, emotions and rationality affect security policy and international interventions, while the geographic focus of his interests are the EU, Western Balkans, the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
During 2015 – 2017, he was a Marie Curie Fellow at the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies (SPAIS), University of Bristol, working on a project titled Local Ownership in Security Sector Reform Activities Within CSDP Interventions of the EU. He has published extensively in academic journals in the fields of political science, international relations and security studies.
His most recent book is Crisis and Ontological Insecurity: Serbia’s Anxiety over Kosovo’s Secession (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020). Filip is the founder of the Center for International Security at the University of Belgrade.
Marko Kovačević
Research Fellow
Marko Kovačević holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from, and is currently an Assistant Professor at University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Science. His doctoral dissertation deals with identity-role construction in the foreign and security policies of small states at the United Nations.
His research interests concern IR theory, international security studies and foreign policy analysis – with the focus on comparative regionalisms, statebuilding and various forms of state agency and practices within the UN system.
Most recently, his articles have been published in Journal of International Relations and Development, Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, Journal of Contemporary European Studies and Third World Thematics: A TWQ Journal. Marko is a co-editor of Journal of Regional Security and member of ISA, ACUNS, EISA and ECPR.
Tijana Rečević
Research Fellow
Tijana Rečević is a Ph.D. candidate in International and European Studies, and a Junior Researcher at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Political Science. After obtaining BA and MA degrees in International Relations at the University of Belgrade, Tijana obtained MA in Conflict Studies from London School of Economics and Political Science, where she was awarded the Best Dissertation Award in the academic 2016/2017.
Her doctoral research investigates the role of public opinion in foreign and security policy. Through her academic publications and research projects, Tijana has acquired extensive knowledge in qualitative methods, including interviews, focus groups and ethnographic research, but she also has some experience in statistics.
Tijana is skilled in using data analysis software NVivo and SPSS. In addition to her academic achievements, Tijana has work and consultancy experience with OSCE Mission to Serbia, UNHCR Representation in Serbia and EU Delegation to Serbia. She has served as Managing Editor of Journal of Regional Security since 2019. Most recently, her article has appeared in European Psychologist.
Zorana Antonijević
Research Fellow
Zorana Antonijević holds a PhD degree in Gender Studies from the University of Novi Sad. The focus of her thesis was gender inequalities in the care sector, with additional attention on critical studies of men and masculinities.
At the core of her research interests are gendered institutions, gender mainstreaming in care and security policies, and critical studies on men and masculinities. For more than twenty years, Zorana has been working as a gender equality consultant for various international, regional and national organisations and institutions.
She is also on the roster of gender experts for the European Institute for Gender Equality, OSCE/ODIHR and Folke Bernadotte Academy. Currently, she is the national researcher in two Horizon 2020 research projects on gender-based violence in research organisations and gender and intersectional inequalities in COVID-19 times. She is active in the women’s movement in the Western Balkan region, especially around care, security and gender backlash.
Milan Varda
Research Fellow
Milan Varda is a Junior Researcher and PhD Student at the University of Belgrade – Faculty of Political Science. He is very passionate about using serious games for choosing an optimal strategy, forecasting, and as a tool for teaching.
His search is centred around critical approaches to global governance, peace, and security. More specifically, he is interested in how identity and collective memory impact the strategic decisions of great powers. His doctoral research is exploring how the ontological insecurity of the Russian Federation has led to the invasion of Ukraine.
Previously, he has worked for the UNDP, the IOM, the Global Policy Journal, as a lecturer at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and for various NGOs.