Celia Donert

Professor Celia Donert holds the title of Professor of Contemporary European History at the University of Cambridge, where she is also a Fellow of Wolfson College. Her research focuses on Central Europe, communism, human rights, and gender, with notable works including The Rights of the Roma (2017) and an upcoming book on women's liberation in communist Europe. She leads research networks such as the AHRC-funded Legacies of the Romani Genocide project and the Cambridge DAAD workshop series on liberal internationalism.

Donert's academic career includes teaching at the University of Liverpool (2012–2019) and visiting roles at the University of Vienna, Free University Berlin, and other institutions. She holds editorial roles for journals like Past and Present and co-edits the European Histories of the Present book series with Cambridge University Press. Her honors include the Czechoslovak Studies Association Book Prize and fellowships from the AHRC and Gerda Henkel Stiftung.

Donert’s research bridges transnational history, gender studies, and human rights, with projects exploring Romani genocide legacies, socialist internationalism, and Cold War feminist movements. She has organized international conferences and produced a BBC documentary on the Romani Holocaust. Her current focus includes global contestations of women’s rights and the historical evolution of human rights frameworks.