Eli Gateva

Eli Gateva is a Departmental Lecturer in European Union Politics at the University of Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR), affiliated with St Antony's College. She previously held academic positions at the University of Manchester, Queen Mary University of London, University of York, and University of Nottingham. As the Athena Swan Lead, she promotes gender equality initiatives. Her research focuses on EU enlargement policy, democracy promotion, anti-corruption strategies, and Central/Eastern European politics. Key publications include European Union Enlargement Conditionality (2016) and contributions to Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics.

Her current work examines post-accession conditionality's impact on EU member states' democratic quality. She co-launched the interdisciplinary network 'Rethinking Europe’s East-West Divide' in 2024, addressing geopolitical and democratic challenges in the EU. Awards include UACES funding (2024) and Higher Education Academy Fellowship. Teaching spans undergraduate EU politics and graduate courses on European governance.

Media engagements include BBC, Euronews, and academic podcasts discussing EU-Balkan relations and democratic backsliding. Recent grants include John Fell Fund and DPIR Research Support Fund awards for projects analyzing East-West divides and rule of law issues.