IR Uncovered: Meet the Minds Shaping Your Degree

Michelle Bui

Bachelor in Economics and International Relations

IE University

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-bui-/

Michelle Bui was born and raised in Monaco, though she carries a German passport, a mix that gave her an early front-row seat to Europe's cultural and political crossroads. Now in her second year of a Dual Bachelor's in Economics and International Relations at IE University, she's set her sights on a future in diplomacy, development, and economic policy-making. Within the IE International Relations Society, Michelle serves as Segovia Events Coordinator and as Global Affairs Analyst & Newsletter Writer, roles that let her turn complex global developments into weekly briefs read across campus.

Andrew Bertoli

Professor

IE University

Andrew Bertoli’s research examines how sports influence world politics. He has written about whether international sports encourage peace between countries, how dictators exploit international sporting events for political gain, and whether banning certain countries from international sports can compel them to change their behavior. His other research projects look at how the internet has intensified ideological conflicts and the role that leaders play in international relations. Andrew previously taught courses on international security and research methods at UC Berkeley. Prior to coming to IE University, he held postdoctoral fellowships at Dartmouth (2017-2018) and the University of Southern California (2016-2017). He received his Ph.D. in political science from UC Berkeley in 2016.

Oscar Martinez Tapia

Professor

IE University

Dr. Martínez-Tapia received both his BA and PhD from Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Political Science with an emphasis on political parties in comparative perspective. He also gained his MA in International Relations from the University of Manchester (U.K.) and has been visiting scholar at the Center for the Study of Democracy in the University of California, Irvine and at Harvard University’s Dept. of Government & Suffolk University Boston. Outside academia, he served as communication advisor to the Vicepresident of Spain from 2005 to 2007 with mainly speechwriting responsibilities. His most recent book, Los problemas no resueltos de la democracia. Centro y periferia en España (Madrid: Arrebato Libros, 2016), prologued by Arend Lijphart, analyses the political strategies of nationalist parties in Basque Country and Catalonia from and elite behavior’s perspective, using Manifesto Research Group content analysis data. An updated English edition of the book is expected to be published in the Fall of 2027. He has recently been appointed Academic Director of the Bachelor in Political Science at IE University. He is a happy husband and devoted father of two (Máxima & Lolo). Interested in gardening, cooking, travelling, animals and Vespa bikes.

Nikolina Židek

Professor

IE University

Nikolina Židek is Adjunct Professor at IE School of International Relations where she teaches Public Opinion and Political Communication and Eastern Europe after the Fall of the Berlin Wall. She is also an invited lecturer at the Advanced Study Course in Human Rights and Genocides, Universidad del Museo Social Argentino (UMSA) in cooperation with Luisa Haraibedian Foundation, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Židek holds a PhD in political science from the Complutense University in Madrid and a Masters degree in International Studies from the Diplomatic School of Madrid in cooperation with the Complutense University. Before entering the academia Dr. Židek was previously working for 12 years as Croatian professional diplomat. She was posted in Croatian Embassies in Madrid (Cultural and Press Attachée) and Buenos Aires (Head of Consular Section, also in charge of Culture and Emigration). Her areas of expertise are transitional justice and human rights, memory politics, the Balkans, and processes of democratization. Currently, her main research interest is focused on the intergenerational transmission of memory among members of the Croatian post- World War Two diaspora in Argentina. She is also external associate of Documenta – Center for Dealing with the Past, main Croatian NGO for human rights.

Carolina Zaccato

Professor

IE University

Dr Carolina Zaccato is an Adjunct Professor at IE University's SPEGA school. She holds a PhD in International Relations from St Andrews, an MSc from LSE, and a BA from Universidad de San Andrés, all with highest distinctions. Her research focuses on regional orders, global governance, IR theory, and Latin America–EU relations. She's a research associate at CGLG and St Leonard's College (St Andrews), ICEI (Spain), and CARI (Argentina). With eleven years of university teaching across the UK, Spain, Belgium, and Argentina, she holds FHEA Fellow status. Beyond academia, she's worked as a policy advisor at the European Parliament's Latin American Unit, an algorithm developer at the Turing Institute and Human Digital/Rewire tackling hate speech and internet governance for clients like Facebook and the UK Government, and a programme officer at think tank CRIES. Born in Buenos Aires, she has lived in London, Brussels, St Andrews, and now Madrid. She's fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese, and is learning Italian and Russian. She's passionate about helping students connect IR theory with real-world affairs and explore diverse career paths.

Beatrice Grace Obado

Professor

IE University

Beatrice Grace Alouch Obado is associate professor of international relations and sustainable development at IE University and Schiller International University. Her research interest is centred on African studies with particular focus on sustainable management of both human and natural resources, regional geopolitics and conflict resolution. Previously, she worked as International Coordinator for ENIASA, European Network for Information and Action for Southern Africa. ENIASA is a network of more than 100 NGOs within the European Union working to promote peace, democracy and sustainable development in southern Africa. She designed, implemented and evaluated various projects on peace, democracy and sustainable development. She serves on the board of Africa 2.0 International foundation, Choiseul Institute in Spain and the advisory board of Casa Africa.

Carlos Lastra-Anadón

Professor

IE University

Carlos Lastra-Anadón is an Associate Professor of the Comparative Politics Department at IE University and the Director of Research at the Center for the Governance of Change. He completed his PhD in Government and Social Policy at Harvard University and was a postdoctoral research fellow at The Europe Center at the Freeman Spogli Institute at Stanford His research interests lie at the intersection of political economy and policy, particularly education policy, as well as health and education and environmental policies. Part of his work has been concerned with understanding what sustains and enhances robust human capital formation and the role that the political process may play in facilitating or impeding its development in different contexts. Over the last 20 years or so, the skills that countries have been investing in since World War II such as universal K-12 are becoming insufficient due to automation and delocalization of production and a job market inequality into highly rewarding high-skilled jobs and manual jobs. What drives successful nations, subnational units and companies to use education to tackle that challenge? He studies the role that politics broadly understood plays in these dynamics. This includes the jurisdictional configurations and institutions (such as decentralization in school districts and funding rules), as well as public opinion, media, and interest groups. He has also recently focused on the particular challenges facing higher education and adult education.