Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief

Anya Kuteleva ORCID iD
University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom

Anya is an interdisciplinary scholar whose work bridges international relations, development studies, energy security, and feminist approaches to politics. Her research focuses on the nexus between politics and sociocultural contexts in international relations and advances a cross-disciplinary methodological toolkit centred on the concept of discursive politics. She is particularly interested in politics in China, Russia, Canada, and Central Asia. She joined the University of Wolverhampton as a Senior Lecturer in International Relations in 2022, after a PhD in Political Science at the University of Alberta (Canada) and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (Russia).

Website: akuteleva.com · Contact: politikonjournal@iapss.org

Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Afiq bin Oslan 
Webster Vienna (WVPU), Austria

Afiq studies political economy, particularly at the intersection of domestic interests and international affairs. His research has addressed topics such as border fortifications, bushfires, censorship, and espionage. Game theory frequently features in his work, and he strives to demystify it as a tool for discussing political and social issues. He is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Webster Vienna (WVPU) in Viena.

Website: sites.google.com/view/afiqbinoslan · Contact: deputy.politikon@iapss.org

Editors

Lloyd George Banda 
University of Cape Town and Rhodes University, South Africa

Lloyd is a political economist with a PhD in Political Science from Stellenbosch University (2026). He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cape Town's African Synthesis Centre for Climate Change, Environment and Development (ASCEND) and a Visiting Lecturer in African Public Policy at Rhodes University. His research examines public policy and the political economy of development in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on governance and the effects of government policy on development outcomes. He uses mixed methods, combining qualitative inquiry with economic modelling and computational analysis.

Silene Gambino 
University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Silene is a researcher in political theory based in Amsterdam. Her research interests include the philosophy of economics, the history of political thought, critical legal theory, and conflict ethics within the analytic tradition. Her current research focuses on the normative dimensions of organised violence by social movements directed against property structures, exploring the conditions under which such forms of resistance may be justified.

Corina Lozovan 
Catholic University of Portugal, Portugal

Corina is a PhD candidate and researcher in Political Science and International Relations at the Institute for Political Studies, Catholic University of Portugal, with a PhD fellowship from the Foundation for Science and Technology. Her regional focus includes the Middle East, particularly the Arab Gulf states, Europe, and Central Asia. Her research interests span security, geopolitics, conflict studies, contemporary Islam, political culture, and the role of artistic and cultural forces in shaping these regions.

David Pimenta 
University of Lisbon, Portugal

David is a PhD candidate in Comparative Politics at the Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lisbon, with a PhD fellowship from the Foundation for Science and Technology. He has been a regular media commentator on political affairs and previously held management positions in several organizations. His research interests include comparative politics, political theory, nationalism, and populism.

Agata Rydzewska 
University of Warsaw, Poland

Agata is a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies, University of Warsaw, and Principal Investigator of the project Descriptive and Substantive Representation of Women in Paradiplomacy: The Case of Autonomous Communities of Spain. She holds a Master's in International Relations from the University of Warsaw, specializing in Contemporary Diplomacy. Her research examines the role of women in sub-state diplomacy and the relationship between feminist foreign policy and paradiplomacy.

Francesco Maria Scanni 
University of Teramo, Italy

Francesco is a research fellow in Political Science at the University of Teramo. His research spans public policy analysis, comparative politics, and political theory. Building on his doctoral work on populist governments and democratic systems, his current research investigates cybersecurity policy in Italy and Europe.

Section Editors

Marianna Prysiazhnyuk, Conversations Section Editor 
University of Bucharest, Romania

Marianna is a researcher and political analyst specializing in international relations and strategic communications in Eastern Europe. She is pursuing a PhD at the University of Bucharest on strategic narratives of Russian foreign policy in Eastern Europe, working primarily on Ukraine, Moldova, and Romania, and has nearly a decade of experience as a journalist covering the region. She works on countering foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and contributed to the Horizon Europe-funded ATHENA project on European information security as a FIMI analyst for the Ukrainian cybersecurity company ISSP.

Contact for Conversations submissions: politikon.conversations@iapss.org

Bogdan Ovcharuk, Book Reviews Section Editor 
York University, Canada

Bogdan is a PhD student in Political Science at York University, with a dual major in Political Theory and International Relations, and is completing a Diploma in European Studies. His interests include Continental political philosophy, international theory, theories of rights and ethics, and Frankfurt School social critique. His dissertation applies Gillian Rose's critique of neo-Kantianism to international theory. He also has professional experience in human rights and peacekeeping, gained as a researcher and media worker during the Russia–Ukraine war.

Contact for book reviews: politikon.bookeditor@iapss.org

Production Editor

Janine Muster
Simon Fraser University, Canada

Janine moved from Germany to Edmonton, Canada, to complete an MA in Sociology, and is completing an editing certificate at Simon Fraser University. She lives in the Canadian Prairies and writes flash fiction and short stories.

Last updated: October 15, 2026