جست‌وجوی استاد و پژوهشگر

Jussi P. Laineمشاهده پروفایل

استاد

• Border Studies
• Human Geography
• Geopolitics
• +۵ مورد دیگر

Dr. Jussi P. Laine is a Professor of Multidisciplinary Border Studies at the Karelian Institute of the University of Eastern Finland, holding the title of Docent in Human Geography. He previously served as head of the Association for Borderlands Studies (2013-2021) and is currently President of the Western Social Science Association, establishing himself as a leading global scholar in border studies. By academic background a human geographer, Dr. Laine approaches border research through an interdisciplinary lens, incorporating perspectives from international relations, geopolitics, political sociology, history, anthropology, and psychology. His primary research focus examines the multiscalar production of borders while critically analyzing relationships between state, territory, citizenship, and identity construction. His work significantly extends to borderland resilience and comprehensive security, addressing vulnerabilities and adaptive capacities of border regions amid geopolitical shifts, migration dynamics, and hybrid security threats. Dr. Laine's extensive publication record includes works on border mobility, migration ethics, ontological (in)security, and counter-Europeanisation tendencies. His research reveals trends toward increasingly complex border dynamics where physical boundaries interact with social, cultural, and digital frontiers. He has notably contributed to understanding Finnish-Russian border relations, African border studies, and the impact of geopolitical crises on border communities. President of Association for Borderlands Studies (2013-2021) President of Western Social Science Association Editor of multiple scholarly works including 'Remapping Security on Europe's Northern Borders' (2021) Dr. Laine actively collaborates with international research networks, recently conducting work at the University of Luxembourg's UniGR-CBS where he focused on counter-Europeanisation tendencies. His current research projects demonstrate strategic planning for long-term scholarly impact through initiatives like BorderLAB (2022-2025) and BorderLink (2025-2027), which aim to strengthen trans-regional border studies collaboration. His laboratory of border research operates through the Karelian Institute, fostering interdisciplinary approaches to understanding contemporary border phenomena.

Ragnar Weilandtمشاهده پروفایل

پژوهشگر ارشد

• EU external action
• Euro-Mediterranean relations
• politics of West Asia
• +۳ مورد دیگر

Ragnar Weilandt is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, conducting research within the Reconfiguring EU Democracy Support (REDEMOS) project. His work centers on European Union external action with specific focus on Euro-Mediterranean relations and political dynamics in West Asia and North Africa. Education: PhD in EU democracy promotion in Tunisia, jointly awarded by Université libre de Bruxelles and University of Warwick through the GEM programme Dr. Weilandt's research examines the complex interplay between security imperatives, stability concerns, and democratic governance in EU external relations. His scholarship critically analyzes EU democracy promotion efforts in Tunisia and Morocco, investigating how crises like the Covid-19 pandemic accelerate democratic backsliding while exploring the contested reception of EU norms in recipient states. His work reveals persistent tensions between EU normative aspirations and practical implementation challenges in volatile political contexts. Analysis of his 2018-2025 publications shows consistent thematic focus on democracy support mechanisms in the Mediterranean and Eastern neighbourhood, with increasing attention to conceptual frameworks for evaluating success/failure in democracy building. His interdisciplinary approach bridges political science, international relations, and area studies, frequently employing comparative case analysis of Tunisia, Morocco, and Eastern European states to expose limitations in EU democracy promotion strategies. Scientific Awards: No awards documented in available sources As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Weilandt currently serves as a researcher within the REDEMOS project framework rather than as a primary advisor. His work receives institutional support through NTNU's research infrastructure and project-specific funding for the REDEMOS initiative, which examines EU democracy support reconfiguration in response to global democratic challenges. Dr. Weilandt operates within the REDEMOS project team at NTNU's Dragvoll campus, collaborating with international researchers including Anna Khakee and Madalina Dobrescu. His research contributes to NTNU's political science expertise in EU external relations, with particular emphasis on developing more nuanced frameworks for understanding democracy support effectiveness in complex political environments.

Edward Polachekمشاهده پروفایل

مدرس پاره‌وقت

• Intelligence Analysis
• Leadership
• Social Media Analysis
• +۲ مورد دیگر

Edward Polachek serves as a Part-Time Lecturer at Mercyhurst University, teaching online courses in Contemporary Leadership in Intelligence and Social Media Analysis since joining the faculty in 2015. His academic role builds upon a 30-year career as a United States Air Force intelligence officer, where he operated at tactical through strategic levels across Europe and the Middle East. His research interests span intelligence analysis methodologies, leadership frameworks in security contexts, and emerging threats in social media exploitation. These stem directly from operational experience including counter-terrorism training across 30+ countries with the U.S. Department of State's Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program and leadership of High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) initiatives where he served as Deputy Director, Intelligence Center Manager, and Director for thirteen combined years. Polachek's professional narrative integrates military intelligence, law enforcement operations against transnational drug networks, and international security capacity building. His perspective is uniquely shaped by firsthand observation of the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, which he identifies as his most challenging professional experience.