Katarina Kušić

Katarina Kušić is a Research Fellow at the University of Vienna’s Research Platform for the Study of Transformations and Eastern Europe. Her work bridges International Relations with postcolonial, decolonial, and political ecological perspectives, focusing on Southeast Europe. She holds a PhD in International Politics from Aberystwyth University and has held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Bristol and the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council. Her current Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions fellowship supports her research on land’s role in global and local power configurations.

Education: PhD in International Politics (Aberystwyth University), postdoctoral work at the University of Bristol and Aberystwyth University. Research Interests include political ecologies of post-socialism, decolonial theory, interpretive methods in social sciences, and land governance. Her interdisciplinary approach emphasizes trans-scalar analysis and experiential knowledge.

Her publications critically examine intervention narratives, land politics, and academic knowledge hierarchies. Recent work explores land as a trans-scalar object in Southeast Europe, linking environmental justice to socio-political transformations. She co-edited volumes on fieldwork methodologies and decolonial practices in the region.

Scientific Awards: Economic and Social Research Council (UK) Postdoctoral Fellowship, Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions Fellowship.

Collaborations: Co-convener of the South East Europe Working Group (British International Studies Association) and Communications Officer at the Journal of International Relations and Development. Her work involves cross-disciplinary networks and local partnerships in research-practice bridges.

Labs/Teams: Core member of the Transformations and Eastern Europe Research Platform at the University of Vienna, fostering transnational academic collaboration.