OUR STAFF

Peter holds an MA in International Affairs and Governance from University of St Gallen, an MA in International Economics and Business from Corvinus University of Budapest, and he is an ACCA member. After gaining experience as an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers Hungary, he was working in controlling and finance for small size creative companies. Peter joined Milestone in 2017 as Head of Service Centre and took over the CEO role in 2020. Peter loves travelling, reading and mountain sports.

György studied sociology and cultural history for his BA at the University of East London, Holocaust studies for his MA at Royal Holloway University of London, and he has interrupted his doctoral thesis at University College London to work at the Milestone Institute. Before joining the Milestone Institute he worked as a researcher for historical documentaries and museum exhibits, research projects funded by the UK Arts & Humanities Research Council (A.H.R.C.), and taught through seminars as well as private tuition at UCL. In his own time György enjoys cycling, Thai boxing and writing short stories.

Daniel studied sociology and political sciences in Budapest, Bonn and Berlin and holds an MA in Economics and International Relations from the University of St Andrews and an MBA from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford (New College). At Oxford he was the Director of the Oxford Seed Fund, a fund that invests in startups affiliated with the university. Daniel is currently a consultant at Egon Zehnder, a global leadership advisory and executive search firm. Prior to founding the Milestone Institute, Daniel worked in international relations, gaining experience with the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence in the UK, the Center for European Integration Studies in Germany and in the Prime Minister’s Office in Hungary as a foreign policy advisor. Daniel is a recipient of the International Parliamentary Scholarship of the German Bundestag (2010) and of the German Marshall Fund’s Marshall Memorial Fellowship (2018). He is an avid traveller, passionate about art and architecture and enjoys swimming, rowing and time spent in the country.

Ádám trained as an economist in Hungary and England. He specialised in the medical aspects of water management. Before becoming a lecturer for vocational courses with the Hungarian National Qualifications Register, Ádám worked as a high school teacher. Prior to founding the Milestone Institute, he spent four years at a human resources management company. In his free time, try to be with his daughters as much as he can, plays the drums, likes to read and do crossfit.

After acquiring a degree in sociology from the Corvinus University of Budapest, Ádám spent years collecting experiences in various project roles, such as: – working as a project manager and management consultant on business transformation and IT projects for large organisations; – coordinating social science research & development projects; or – volunteering to develop and run the Csoma’s Room Foundation, an NGO working in the remote regions of the Indian Himalayas. Since 2019 Ádám has invested his consultancy and management skills into developing the Milestone Solutions Lab. When he is not working, he is trying to spend as much time as possible in the great outdoors, catch up on his ever-expanding reading list of Polish non-fiction, and discover other cultures.

Adrian Matus graduated in Comparative Literature and English Language at Babeș-Bolyai University from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He earned two MA Degrees, one in History of Ideas at Babeș-Bolyai University and the other in Contemporary History at Université Sorbonne Paris IV. Currently, he is writing his Ph.D. about Hungarian and Romanian hippie movements under the supervision of Prof. Alexander Etkind from the European University Institute in Florence.

Previously, Adrian worked as a researcher for Jugend- und Kulturprojekt e.V., an NGO from Dresden, Germany, as a librarian assistant at the European University Institute from Florence, and as an archivist intern at the Open Society Archives from Budapest.

In his free time, Adrian enjoys gardening, going to the theatre, and traveling.

Agnes holds two MAs, one in History and one in English Language and Literature, and she was a post-graduate research scholar at Cambridge University. She is interested in women’s roles and opportunities in society from medieval times to the 21st century. Agnes is passionate about learning and supporting others on their journey towards knowledge, be it teaching, mentoring, training or coaching, and she has done all four. Before joining Milestone, she organised and delivered international training courses for young people from all over Europe. She has lived and worked in the USA, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK; she now divides her time between London and Budapest. In her free time, Agnes can be found in the vicinity of dance floors, bookstores, and anything involving sunshine and/or music.

Ágnes obtained her MSc from the University of Horticulture and Food Industry and her PhD from Szent István University in the field of plant physiology. After PhD she started to work at the Institute of Enzymology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and she works there still. Ágnes holds the position of Senior Research Fellow in the Research Group of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. Her main research interest is the structure-function relationship of proteins, more precisely the role of regulatory protein-RAN interactions in epigenetic modifications. She teaches at MSc and PhD level at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and at Eötvös Loránd University.

AJ’s academic background lies in gender, politics and international relations. During his undergraduate studies, he embarked on several competitive scholarships and research opportunities in academia and think tanks. He also worked and volunteered in the civil sector at various feminist and LGBT organizations, and still plays an active role in some of them. His experiences led him to the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna and Budapest, where he obtained his Master of Arts degree with distinction from the Department of Gender Studies. His research interests include social movements, ethnic and queer studies, transnational networks, and equality policy. In his spare time he can be found jamming to new wave music and reading underground comix.

Alexandra graduated with a degree in Trading and Marketing, and she was working as an Office Manager for a while. After that, she gained substantial experience in the Financial field, working with industrial and agricultural companies. Alexandra is working with us part-time, the other part she is with her beloved son. Finally and most importantly, Alexandra loves reading and travelling.

Alexandra Mester studied history and English culture and is specialised in translation studies. She spent several years working at multinational companies as a customer service representative and also worked as a personal assistant before joining Milestone Institute. Her main areas of focus are translating, event planning and providing helping hands whenever its needed. Her interest are arts, history and learning languages and cultures (now she is focusing on Norwegian). In her spare time she likes hiking, learning to play her guitar and being immersed in the vivid underground life of Budapest.

Aliz graduated as a Fashion and Textile Designer (MA) and also as a Design and Visual Art Teacher (MA) at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. She gained professional experience in the international film industry and international design companies. In 2019 she was volunteering as a designer at a Tel Aviv based sustainable, social brand. She is currently working as an art teacher in an international school. She is passionate about socially conscious, sustainable design and education.

Andor holds three MA degrees: two from Eötvös Loránd University in Hebrew Philology and History respectively and one from Central European University in Medieval Studies. He was awarded a PhD degree at the Medieval Studies Department of CEU under the supervision of Professor Carsten Wilke in November 2017. Andor is very interested languages, in classical and late antique culture, the philosophy of sciences and languages. He spends much of his spare time either cooking and baking in the kitchen, learning languages or doing sports, especially swimming and running.

András is a novelist, coach, teacher, translator. He was born in Hungary but moved to the United States in his early teens, returning to Hungary in 2004. András has a degree in Government and Politics from George Mason University and a Juris Doctor degree from Antonin Scalia Law School. he practiced law in the D.C. area for 6 years. When he is not writing, he enjoys longsword fencing, oil painting, and running with his dog.

Martin is a research fellow at the Research Institute for Linguistics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He has a Ph.D. in Theoretical Linguistics from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. His fields of interest are phonology, morphology, the Romani language and the comparative study of generative and non-generative theoretical frameworks. He is not just an armchair linguist; he has done fieldwork among the Roma in the Hungarian countryside as part of his own project, as well as Romani language projects carried out by leading foreign universities in the field.

Andrea graduated in English Studies, History and Art History from Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences and Humanities, Budapest (ELTE) before she completed a PhD course in Romanticism and Modernism at the Department of English Studies at ELTE. Besides her majors listed above she also studied Egyptology as a minor. Studies in Organizational and Social Psychology at Pécs University followed her graduation in psychology from Károli Gáspár University, Budapest. With a British Council study grant at the University of Sussex she worked out a curriculum in Orientalism and postcolonial discourse that she taught for ten years at ELTE along with British literature and literary theory. Both in her teaching and in her research of 25 years her focuses are usually interdisciplinary with approaches of psychology and cultural studies. Presently she works for a German-Hungarian visitor study project and she has lately been elected into the Supervisory Committee of Interpret Europe- Association for Heritage Interpretation Lately she has been engaged in heritage interpretation and visitor studies.

Anna studied Human Sciences at University College London, an interdisciplinary degree in biology, anthropology and psychology. She later went on to do her master’s degree in Special and Inclusive Education at the IOE, UCL. During her studies, she was a volunteer at SOS Gyermekfalu, where she was tutoring. Both in her voluntary and academic roles, she has set out to explore the best ways to support special learners, especially those who have learning needs due to mental health difficulties or trauma. She is determined to create spaces for inclusive and individualised education. In her free time, she immerses herself in a creative project, like knitting or writing.

Anna has a PhD in intercultural linguistics, specializing in the discourses of gender. She is an enthusiast of languages, holding degrees in American Studies and Italian Studies. Besides her bilingual competence of Hungarian and English, she learned Italian, Spanish, Latin, Portuguese, German, and Korean. So far she has lived in the US, Central America, Spain, and Italy. Currently she is teaching at Eötvös Loránd University and Pázmány Péter University but she has been affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the University of Pavia in Italy, and Central European University.

I am currently pursuing my PhD studies at the Doctoral School of Physics of Eötvös Loránd University (Budapest), in addition to this I am a junior research fellow at the Wigner Research Centre of Physics. My main research interest is theoretical quantum optics, with special focus on quantum phenomena in cavity quantum electrodynamics. I belong to the Hungarian minority of Romania, I was raised in Szeklerland, and obtained my BSc degrees in physics at Babes-Bolyai University of Kolozsvár. After that I moved to Budapest to start my Master’s degree in Particle Physics at Eötvös Loránd University. In my free time, I boost my energy by playing the piano, listening to a classical music concert and spending as much time in nature as I can.

Attila is a doctoral researcher at the Central European University, and senior consultant of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Climate-KIC, who mainly focuses on sustainable development, cities, and innovation. His work at CEU aims to understand what factors influence the deployment of urban sustainability solutions and what systemic interventions could catalyse the process, through conducting governance research in cities of China, Canada, Hungary and Singapore. At Climate-KIC, he works on developing and benchmarking transversal competency frameworks for sustainability transitions, innovation and entrepreneurship. His work experience also includes several years of European Union and United Nations project management, coordinating local NGOs and international networks, as well as academic lecturing up to master’s level in the field of sustainable development, resilience, and innovation. His qualifications include a master’s degree with the highest honours in regional and environmental economics and a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering. He enjoys swimming, hiking, video games and board games, and he is an avid traveller who likes to explore countries off the beaten path. At Milestone he supported the founding and development of the Milestone Innovation Society as a mentor.

Boglárka studied English literature and linguistics and trained in classical music and piano performance in Budapest, before moving to the UK. During and after her undergraduate studies in Art History at the University of York, she worked in various cultural institutions and art galleries both in the UK and Hungary, and she also tried herself in the world of auctions, working for a time at Christie’s in London. Her curatorial work relating to fine art and art sales focused mainly on contemporary art and photography.

She has recently completed her MSt in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford, specializing in screenwriting, and has been focusing on her writing and translation work since.

Her academic interests include intersectional areas of art, literature, architecture, music, film, and psychology, as well as the possibilities the arts hold in bringing about social change. In her free time she enjoys a good story, wherever and in whatever form she can find it.

After finishing her bachelor degree in Communication and Media Studies at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Bori moved to Amsterdam to study Communications Science at the University of Amsterdam. She is keen on theatre from a very young age, therefore she was working on theatre communication and marketing during her university studies. She used to work at educational institutes before joining Milestone where her main responsibilities were career and CV guidance and event organising. In her free time she likes to cook, go to the movies, and spend time with her dog named Uborka.

Cristina holds a BA in International Relations from the Pontifical Catholic University in São Paulo and does not think this diploma defines her in any way. In fact, she joined Milestone Institute at a crucial point in her life, two years after graduating from university and one year after having moved permanently to Budapest, still trying to find her footing as a young adult. Having realised that academia and the pursuit of multiple degrees was not her path, she worked/volunteered with events, tourism, youth and education until finally joining Milestone’s ambitious and driven team in 2017. In a way, Milestone helped her find her purpose: Cristina enjoys organising chaos, creating new processes and managing spreadsheets. On a more personal note, Cristina has lived in São Paulo, Sydney and Budapest (so far) and in her free time you can find her biking around the city, hiking or singing and dancing with her amateur choir group, ProVocal.

After spending a year as a Kellner Scholar at Bard College in New York City Dalma completed a Master of Arts degree at Eötvös Loránd University in American Literature and Culture. Prior to joining Milestone in 2020 Dalma worked in higher education talent management at Saint Ignatius College for Advanced Studies, and as a business developer at one of the top Hungarian start-up companies, Publishdrive. Her university studies and work focused on literature, popular culture and diversity but paralell Dalma was sure to make room for playing the violin, acting and directing in English, and singing in numerous choirs. All of these experiences make her devoted to encouraging students to fearlessly explore and express their academic interests with the assistance of creative, and gamified pedagogical strategies. At Milestone she is committed to bringing her professional experience, her dedication for creative pursuits, and enthusiasm for progressive education into the roles of Head of Lower House, and Chair of Applied Aesthetics.

Dániel holds a PhD in philosophy from the Eötvös Loránd University of Budapest. After attending the moral and political philosophy programme of the Doctoral School of Philosophy at ELTE, he successfully defended his thesis on ‘Karl Marx’s Vision of Communism: The Experiences of the Past and the Opportunities of Modernity’ in June 2017. During his university studies he worked as a journalist, editor and radio broadcaster for various Hungarian media outlets including HVG, Sziget.hu, Wan2 and Radiocafé 98.6. In his spare time, Dániel watches John Carpenter movies, organises quizzes and works on developing his personal library and record collection.

Dániel attended Fazekas Mihály Secondary School in Budapest and then studied Biology at the University of York. During his studies, he participated in several research projects mainly in ecology and completed his dissertation project on developmental biology. After graduating, he started medical school at Semmelweis University, where he is currently in his fourth year. He is also currently involved in a neuroscience research project at Eötvös Loránd University. In his spare time, he enjoys playing music and birding.

David Crisp is an Englishman currently residing in Budapest, Hungary where he has been studying a masters degree in animation as a writer and director at MoME. Back in 2009 he moved to Denmark with the dream of studying animation and in 2015 he graduated from The Animation Workshop as a Computer Graphic Artist. David co-wrote and co-directed his graduation film “Roommate Wanted – Dead or Alive” which has gone on to be screened at various festivals around the globe and also won several prizes and a “Staff Pick” on Vimeo. In 2014 he started an animation studio in Denmark called Monkey Tennis. They primarily produced 3D animated content for television and the web, with an emphasis on exciting characters and engaging storytelling. They developed and pitched their first web/television show, “Alan’s Apartment” at Cartoon Forum in 2015. He is a highly motivated, passionate, and driven individual with a track record of delivering high quality and creative results throughout a film and animation and design pipeline, as an individual and as part of a team. David believes that the key to creating and developing new and exciting work is collaboration and cooperation and he likes to create an atmosphere of exploration and experimentation within a brief. He firmly believes that, regardless of style or content, the principles of good work remain the same and can be applied to any production or teaching method.

Dávid Komáromy won a bronze medal at the 35th international Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Athens in 2003. He studied Philosophy, Literature and Chemistry at ELTE Budapest between 2003-2010. After graduation he continued his Chemistry studies at the Freie Universität Berlin as a DAAD fellow. In 2012 he obtained his MSc from Chemistry in the group of Christoph A. Schalley, where his research focused on supramolecular mass spectroscopy. Afterwards, he started a PhD at ETH Zürich, but the research topic did not really fit his interests, so he quit and started a new PhD at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the group of Sijbren Otto, working in the emerging field of systems chemistry and de novo life. After obtaining his PhD in 2019, he returned to Hungary, where he is now working as a module leader and mentor at the Milestone Institute, as well as a bartender at Kisüzem. Dávid mentored several high school and university students in chemistry, and has a teaching experience of more than 4 semesters. He contributed to the preparation of Hungarian students for IChO and authored theoretical problems as the member of the Scientific Committee at the 40th IChO in Budapest.

Dávid studied at the special mathematics class of Fazekas Secondary School. During these years, amongst others, he finished 3rd at the National Mathematics OKTV and was the reserve member of the Hungarian International Physics Olympiad team. He obtained his mathematics undergraduate degrees at Cambridge and at ELTE with distinction. He held courses at ELTE and BME for undergraduates and worked as a programmer for HP and for Morgan Stanley. Currently he is doing his PhD at CEU and at Rényi Institute in pure mathematics.

Dénes is a researcher and thinker interested in how socio-technical systems interact with each other. He holds an assistant professorship at Lancaster University in the UK, where has a research portfolio in energy systems and a Visiting Professorship at the Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania, centered around data visualization and business intelligence. His data analyses and visualizations balance on the fine line between work and hobby and he has led educational workshops on sustainability and renewable energy across developing regions in Asia and Africa. He also leads the datactivism blogs Kontext and székelydata, exploring complex topics through data analysis and visualization.

Hungarian by origin, Dénes was born and raised in Transylvania, Romania and obtained a BSc in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (2011). Later on, he moved to Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi (now Khalifa University) to pursue an MSc in Engineering Systems & Management (2013) and continued for a PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering (2016), both in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US. He believes that it is not only the quality of the research that matters but also the quality of the presentation – placing therefore great emphasis on data visualization and story-telling with data, while trying to inspire the next generation of systems thinkers.

Diomides is a specialist in finance and economics. He is originally Cypriot but completed his masters in Scotland and his PhD in France.

Dóra graduated from the University of Pécs in Geography (MSc) in 2014. She earned PhD in PTE-TTK Earth Sciences doctoral school in the field of Human Geography. Between 2014 and 2017, she worked as one of the team leaders of the Hungarian team, which attended the International Geography Olympiad (iGeo). Since 2018, she has been using her olympiad and organiser experiences to coach students individually. In addition to her self-developed exercise book (Geography A to Z) she mentors students from all over the country. Currently, she works at ELKH Institute for Regional Studies as a research fellow, where she participates in international research projects (COST Action, Horizon Europe). Dóra enjoys cycling, practising yoga, reading, and writing a blog in her spare time.

Edit has two decades of field experience working in conflict prevention, crisis management and international development with the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe throughout the Balkans and Ukraine. She has recently returned to live in Hungary and continues to be involved in development projects in south-eastern Europe and the Middle East as well as in training and capacity building with the EU. Edit holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Political Science. She is a passionate linguist and cook and enjoys traveling, biking and dancing.

Emese holds a PhD in History from the Central European University and one in Linguistics from the Babeș-Bolyai University. After doing research on issues of minority linguistic rights and bilingual language use in Romania, she turned to issues of European social history and wrote her dissertation on the institutions of control in early modern Europe. As a post-doc researcher, she has been dealing with the diffusion of technology through religious conflicts and the consequent mass migrations across distant territories of pre-industrial Europe. She has been appointed as a research fellow at Warwick University, at Ca’ Foscari in Venice, at the European University Institute in Florence, as well as at NYU. Emese is passionate about swimming, hiking and making ceramic objects.

Emese holds a BA degree in Applied Modern Languages (German and English) and because she wanted to widen her horizon, she also studied International Management and obtained an M.A. After spending 4 years in Germany (studying at Pädagogische Hochschule in Ludwigsburg and working in the Frankfurt am Main area), she moved to Budapest and is currently working as a happy exchange programme coordinator at a local university. She is passionate about biking and travelling, but she also ventures into the fields of sewing and tailoring.

After completing her master’s degrees in English Language and Literature and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, Erzsébet gained experience in teaching in various educational settings. She has experience in both formal and non-formal educational environments. After some years in teaching, she spent one year in Ireland as a full-time volunteer in a social housing project supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. She also spent two years in Berlin working as a cultural organiser. She recently completed her training in complex art-therapy. In her free time she enjoys everything that is connected to song and dance.

A future drama- and media teacher, with a passion for education and development. She earlier studied communication- and media as well as acting, and worked on several theater and movie productions mainly as an actress. She also led a theater company for teenagers and worked on organising and leading team building events for companies and youth camps for high school students. In her free time she likes to do yoga, hike, cook, go to theater, cinema, and her most recent hobby is gardening.

Eszter obtained her Pharmacy degree from Semmelweis University, Budapest. After graduating, she spent a year in Cambridge, USA, working in a pharmaceutical drug formulation laboratory. She has been working in pharmaceutical research and development since 2010. Additionally, she completed studies in Health Economics and Health Policies at Corvinus University and Harvard Summer School. In her spare time, Eszter enjoys playing beach volleyball, swimming and hiking with her dog.

During her undergraduate years at the Eötvös Loránd University, Eszter chiefly focused on South Asian languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, and Urdu, and took interest in South and Southeast Asian art history. Following that, she obtained her Master’s degree from Cultural Heritage Studies and specialized in Religious Studies at the Central European University. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in South Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and learns Thai at SOAS, University of London. Her research focuses on the contemporary utilization of early Buddhist sites, especially in the Thai national imagination and cultural memory practices. Her dissertation on the topic won the Best Religious Studies MA Thesis Award for the Academic Year 2019/2020. Besides, she is an ice dance coach and prepares Basic Novice and pre-Novice competitors for both national and international championships. In her free time, Eszter enjoys listening to electronic music, visiting cafés with her friends, doing yoga, cooking and tasting Italian food, and traveling around the world.

After completing her BA in Psychology and Film & Media at the University of Stirling, Eszter gained an MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh in 2018. She has worked with Edinburgh International Science Festival, with Roslin Institute and coordinated science engagement events throughout her career. She hopes to make education more accessible and enjoyable for generations to come. In her free time, she loves exploring new places and quizzing.

Eszter Szép is a scholar, educator and curator, researching comics, popular culture, and contemporary literature. Her first monograph, Comics and the Body: Drawing, Reading, and Vulnerability, was published by the Ohio State University Press in 2020. Eszter holds a PhD in contemporary English and American literature and culture from Eötvös Loránd University. She curated the first comics exhibition on the history of Hungarian comics in the National Széchényi Library in 2018 and has edited a catalog of the above exhibition (2018). Eszter is a peer reviewer for academic journals and book series, and is the book reviews editor of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. She is the director of the yearly International Comics Festival Budapest. In her free time, Eszter talks about dinosaurs and drinks coffee. Further info at eszterszep.com.

Fanni nemzetközi tanulmányokat hallgatott a Budapesti Corvinus Egyetemen, cserediákként fél évig a római La Sapienza-n, majd Globalisation and Law szakon szerzett LLM diplomát a Maastricht University-n. Maastrichti tanulmányait követően jogi gyakornokként dolgozott először Hágában, a volt Jugoszláviában elkövetett háborús bűncselekményeket vizsgáló Nemzetközi Tövényszéken (ICTY), majd a londoni British Institute of International and Comparative Law-nál (BIICL), végül az Európai Unió bécsi Alapjogi Ügynökségén (FRA). 2017-ben csatlakozott a belga KU Leuven jogi karához, mint doktori hallgató és tanársegéd. Egy évvel később tért haza Magyarországra, hogy a Közép-európai Egyetem Nyílt Társadalom Archívumának (OSA) oktatási programfelelőse legyen. Szabadidejét színházban, napos teraszokon, könyvekkel és jó társaságban szereti tölteni.

After graduating from Fazekas, Flóra studied International Relations at ELTE for two years before realizing their passions lied elsewhere. They have since attended several courses on character design, animation, and have finished an OKJ in Motion Picture Design & Animation. Milestone is their first real place of work, and they hope to gain valuable work experience, communication and organization skills, and friends of course. In their free time they like to draw, listen to podcasts, play DnD with their friends, and train their poodle, Tavasz.

Flóra holds a BA in Political Science from Corvinus University of Budapest and an MA in Public Administration from Central European University. During her university years, she was a member of Rajk College for Advanced Studies. Before joining Milestone Institute, she gained experience both in the private and public sector as a consultant. In her free time, she likes to spend time with friends and family, ride a bike and discover new places in Budapest.

Flora is an alumna of Milestone. She attended high school at Premontrei Szent Norbert Gimnazium. She participated in the 26th International Biology Olympiad where she won a silver medal. She obtained her BSc and Masters’ in Neuroscience at UCL, where she is currently completing her PhD in neural circuits and behaviour. Flora’s interest in combining experimental and theoretical neuroscience led her to pursue an internship in Janelia Research campus (VA,USA) where she spent two summers. In her free time, she enjoys travelling, fencing and playing the cello.

Gábor has an undergraduate degree in Statistics from the London School of Economics. In his free time, he likes swimming and learning foreign languages.

Gabriella studied Public Relations at the University of Bedfordshire. Her passion for education developed while she was an international exchange student to Venezuela and Honduras for a high school year. During her professional life she gained diverse and considerable experience in Learning & Development, change management and organizational development. Prior to joining Milestone, Gabriella was National Director of an the international not-for-profit cultural and educational exchange organization with over 50 partner organizations around the world. She is cinefile, reads almost anything that she comes across and loves travelling anywhere near or far.

Gergely graduated at the University of Cambridge, where he read Land Economy. During university, he was active in the finance, real estate, and debating societies, as well as taking part in regional and national political campaigns as an activist, and later, campaign manager. His academic focus was real estate finance and regional development, writing his dissertation on Hungarian return migration from the UK with references to the disparities between the EU Core and Peripheries. He currently works as a digital engagement lead at a Hungarian digital transformation specialist.

Gergely holds a PhD in philosophy of science from Durham University (UK). He worked as a tutor and/or lecturer at Budapest University of Technology, Eötvös Loránd University, Durham University and various colleges for advanced learning. In the last four years, he also worked as a business trainer and coach mainly focused on the development of argumentation and presentation skills of mid-level managers and their immediate staff. As a philosopher, Gergely’s real passion lies in the intersection between epistemology and cognitive science. At present, he is interested in evolutionary accounts of culture, learning and cognitive abilities, in theories of causation and causal thinking and the possible functions of non-ordinary states of consciousness.

Gergely studied Economics at the London School of Economics (LSE), currently working toward his master’s degree in Finance also at LSE with a focus on derivatives. He has internship experience in corporate banking. He is working as a freelancer financial advisor, and web developer. In his spare time, Gergely enjoys traveling, hiking and playing Bridge.

Gitta is currently pursuing her MSc in Psychology of Mental Health at the University of Edinburgh, and is preparing for her upcoming clinical psychology training in Budapest. At present, she’s researching the benefits of self-compassion and its effects on self-critical thoughts and maladaptive perfectionism. Previously, she studied at Bard College in New York, where she completed her BA in Psychology and her BMus in Violin Performance. Alongside her studies in Psychology, she is an award-winning violinist, and has been invited back to Bard College to perform as a soloist with The Orchestra Now for their upcoming season. When she is not studying, you can find her teaching violin online, going on long walks, reading, or watching one of David Lynch’s movies for the millionth time.

Gréta has a BA degree in English Philology, and an MA degree with honours in Translation and Interpretation from Eötvös Loránd University, and she currently works as a freelance translator when she is not at Milestone. In her BA thesis she concentrated on the underrepresentation of certain groups in second language learning motivational research, and she is now pursuing a PhD in the foreign language learning motivation of rural learners in Hungary. Before coming to Milestone, she had also volunteered at the Erasmus Student Network for several years as a mentor and event coordinator. In her free time, if she is not found with her nose in a book, she likes to crochet or cross-stitch.

He was born in a small Middle Eastern country called Lebanon and have always enjoyed hiking and camping in its beautiful mountains as well as swimming and fishing in its diverse part of the Mediterranean Sea. The Lebanese cuisine is one of his favorites with its huge variety of offerings that are tantalizingly delicious. He studied in the Lebanese University obtaining his BSc in Life and Earth Sciences, then continued MSc in Biodiversity. He also holds a Teaching Diploma from the same university. In 2009, he joined the Lebanon Evangelical School for Boys and Girls, a very well reputed school in Lebanon where he taught full time for 8 years before moving to Hungary. His responsibilities ranged from teaching Biology to high school students to taking care of the laboratory as the Lab supervisor. Along with his wife and daughter, he moved to Budapest in 2017 and joined Avicenna International College where he teaches Biology mainly for the Medical Foundation Program students preparing them for medical university entrance exams. He has always seen education as the best investment in life and enjoys teaching others seeing them also grow in knowledge and wisdom to become well-rounded individuals. His philosophy in teaching is to go down to every student’s level to be able to help pull them to higher levels. During his free times, he enjoys listening and playing music, swimming, and sometimes cooking.

Iván has a BA degree in philosophy from Cambridge and an MSc in political theory from LSE, specialising in the theory of nationalism. Iván previously worked for a project consultancy firm, working with public and non-profit clients on topics ranging from journalism to nature protection, but mostly focusing on urban development. In his free time, Iván likes to run, spend time with friends, attend gigs, or just sit down with a book.

Originally from Detroit, Jane moved to Budapest shortly after finishing her degree in Organizational Communication at Calvin University. She has been living in Budapest for the past three years. With a greatly varied work history, from NGO work to recruiting to technical writing, she has a love for learning and exploring the world.

János holds a BSc from Pázmány Péter Catholic University in molecular bionics, an interdisciplinary course between technology and life sciences, and a Master’s from UCL in computational biology. He spent two years in academic research at UCL and SOTE, the medical university in Budapest. He researched the dynamics of intracellular molecular networks during the development of cancer, and the auditory system in a computational neuroscience project. At Milestone, he was working in the Academic Department for six years, leading the Teaching and Learning Team for four years. He recently joined Solutions Lab, Milestone’s consultancy and international business development R&D team. In his own time, he enjoys running, volleyball and pretending to be a film critic.

János graduated as a system developer, economist and then he developed his skills in a coaching school to help his staff as a leader to manage change and develop teams. His MBA degree was awarded to CEU Business School in 2016. He has gained wide-ranging professional knowledge in the energy sector, is an active participant in the transformations in the industry, but he have been following the trends of other industries. Teaching and transferring knowledge is an important part of his professional work. He taught financial planning at the Budapest College of Economics and holds practical seminars as guest lecturer in other Hungarian higher education institutions. Publications on business planning, working capital management and risk management have been published. He regularly writes case studies, lecturer at national and international conferences. He is a committed supporter of system and design thinking. He is a fan of analogue photography, fashion and perfumes.

József obtained an M.Sc. in Theoretical Physics at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Since then he has been working as an Assistant Research Fellow at the Wigner Research Centre for Physics. At present he is working on his Ph.D. at Eötvös Lorand University. His main research topics are String Theory, Probability Theory and Discrete Dynamical Systems. His hobbies are waveboarding, diving and trying out new things.

Judit studied international affairs at the American University of Paris, later graduated from the Budapest University of Economic Sciences with an MA in international relations (1999) and has a complementary degree in law for economists from ELTE (2001). After graduating she worked in film production for more than a decade. Her current interest and area of expertise is academic coaching for effective study skills with attention to all life skills that may be relevant in the life of a student. She works with both adolescents and adults as a coach and a gestalt therapist. She is a mother of three, and she has a passion for mountains, especially the High-Tatras and the Himalayas.

Judit holds an MSc in Chemistry from the Eötvös Loránd University and a Ph.D. in Structural Biochemistry. During her Ph.D. training, she conducted 3 years of research on molecular motors at the National Institutes of Health of the United States. She also conducted research at the Gustave Roussy and Curie Institutes in Paris. Currently, she is a principal investigator at the Institute of Enzymology, Budapest. Her research focuses on genome metabolism and antibiotics resistance. She is a lecturer at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and at Eötvös Loránd University. She has been mentoring students from high school to the Ph.D. level for 20 years.

Katalin Borbáth is a PhD candidate at educational sience at OTDI PTE, in Pécs. She is a master of educational psychology, working as a schoolpsychologist at Közgazdasági Politechnicum and Leowey Secondary School as well, she was a lecturer for 3 years at ELTE TÓK faculty. She is the creator of NVC-The Language of Compassionate Communication. She is also the author of courses like Effective Communication, Hardly but Educatable e-tranings. Katalin also is a trener at the field of communication, mentoring, talent managing. Her specialities are the interdisciplined fields at psychology, educational sience, communication and sociology. She studies the possibilities of equal relationships in education and in therapycal relates in theory and in practice as well. Her special interest are: compassionate communication, mediation, equity, gender studies,councelling,talent management, personal developing , mentoring, art therapy and dance therapy. She conducts studies at mentalhigiene at schools, female teachers’personality, teachers’attitude towards psychology. Her article , title is Child Psychodrama and Creative Dance were published at volume :Integration and Inclusion, about an methodical experimentation in a primary school. She took part several educational tender, in 2015 she led a project aboult art and therapy for underpriviledges students in Budapest, X. district, Educational Cancelling Centre. In 2019 she wrote , won and implemented the Erasmus +international training course project called Inside Out:Growing gender Awareness for teachers and youth workers.

Kata attended an English school in Kuwait for three years, then became a teacher of English at CETT (Centre for English Teacher Training) and received her MA degree at DELL (Department for English Language and Literature), ELTE. She also took part in the Training for Interpreters and Translators at BME and went on to become a mentor for trainee teachers of English after completing the Mentor and Trainer Training Course at ELTE. She taught at a secondary school for more than 15 years where she and some of her colleagues accredited a programme for teachers based on positive psychology.

Katalin holds a BSc in Biology (Georgia Southern University, USA) and a MSc in Ecology (Eötvös Loránd University, ELTE, Hungary). She is currently working on her PhD at the Department of Plant Systematics, Ecology and Theoretical Biology at ELTE, focusing on network analysis of aquatic ecosystems. Katalin worked abroad for many years as part of international collaborative projects in Europe and at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She enjoys being outdoors, likes swimming, skiing and hiking.

Katarina is currently doing her PhD in International and Security Studies at the Corvinus University of Budapest, where she also obtained her MA Degree in International Relations. Her BA Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy she obtained at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). The primary focus of her research is Russia, Visegrad countries, Energy Security and Sustainable Development. In her free time, Katarina enjoys reading, hiking, swimming, playing the piano and visiting Opera.

Klára have completed her BA degree in English Linguistics and Literature at Eötvös Loránd University. She was a member of both the Anglo-American Workshop at Eötvös Collegium and the Humanities Workshop at Márton Áron Special College. She is interested in neurolinguistics, cognitive processes, in the connection between language and neurodegenerative diseases. Currently, she is a research assistant at the Research Centre for Linguistics in the Brain representation of language processes research group. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering, learning languages, cycling, and debating life with her friends.

Veronika has a degree in International Relations from Central European University and Sociology from Corvinus University of Budapest. Her interest developed in the educational sector while she was a member of Széchenyi István College for Advanced Studies,

Krisztina is a Milestone alumna, completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Oxford, Pembroke College, where she read BA Experimental Psychology. Pursuing her interest in Cognitive Science, she conducted research at MTA TTK and at the University of Oxford, receiving numerous grants and prizes for her work, including the Junior Special Prize at the 2019 OTDK conference. She is currently a participant of the graduate Brain and Mind Sciences joint program by University College London and Sorbonne University Paris, where she focuses on the intersection of AI, Cognitive Science and Neuroscience. In her free time, Krisztina is a contributing writer to various English and Hungarian journals and enjoys hiking.

Lara has more than twenty years of experience translating and copy editing for major museums, research institutes, journals, and publishing houses in Hungary and elsewhere in Europe. She has also taught ESL and for the past few years has prepped private students for the IELTS and other language exams, coached public speaking, and assisted in creative and academic writing. Over the years she has helped students navigate the application process to universities in the UK and the USA. She has a BA in English literature from Bates College and an MS in applied ecology from the University of Indiana.

László graduated from the University of Cambridge, where he studied Mathematics and Computer Science. He then completed his MSc and PhD in Economics at the Catholic University of Leuven. He obtained his doctorate from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2020. He is currently a scientific advisor and head of the Game Theory Research Group at the Centre for Economics and Regional Studies (one of the former institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) and professor and director of the Research Centre for Quantitative Social and Management Sciences at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. His academic interests include game theory, economic theory and social choice, especially cooperative game theory, the apportionment problem and applications to energy economics and voting.

Laszlo has a BA in Political Science from Corvinus University, a MA in Minority Policy from Eötvös Loránd University and another MA in Public Policy from CEU. Shortly after finishing his studies, he moved to New York, where he started a career in international education. Laszlo worked for AFS-USA and Stevens Institute of Technology, helping high school and university students pursue their dream of studying abroad. He later moved back to Hungary and joined the Tom Lantos Insitute as a Program Officer for their Roma Rights and Citizenship program. During his time at the Institute, Laszlo took part in a research project which aimed to map out the representations of Roma in the public spaces of Hungary and co-authored a book on the same topic. Laszlo is an avid consumer of coffee, likes to play squash and listens to political podcasts.

László is a PhD student in Philosophy at Central European University. He holds two master’s degrees: one in Aesthetics from ELTE and the other in Philosophy from CEU. Through international programs, he also studied philosophy at the University of Primorska, Slovenia, as well as visual culture and literature at Lund University, Sweden.

His philosophical work focuses on the ontological nature of social categories and classifications, but his broader academic interests range from philosophy of art and philosophy of mind through literary theory to Early Modern and Enlightenment thought. In his free time, László immerses himself in contemporary Hungarian literature (at times publishing reviews), travels, and goes to the movies.

László is a musicologist, psychologist and musician. He works at the Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, and at the University of Szeged and, on two occasions, has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge and at Downing College (Cambridge). His research in traditional musicology focuses on Bartók (analysis and performance), in music psychology on emotional communication in music performance, and in music pedagogy on developing effective and creative working and instrumental practice methods. Over the past few years, he has been involved in a countrywide planning of music education curricula across Hungary, including the National Core Curriculum and conservatoire curricula. As a pianist and chamber musician, he has performed in several European countries and the US, and conducts attentional skills training workshops (based on his Practice Methodology) and chamber music coaching sessions at international masterclasses both in Hungary and abroad, including in Britain at King’s College London, and in Italy, at the Santa Cecilia Conservatoire, Rome.

László earned a BA in International Studies with minors in Religious Studies and Mandarin Chinese from Kenyon College (USA), focusing on ancient Chinese traditions. In cooperation with the Yunnan Nationalities University in Kunming, China, he conducted research along the Silk Road in Gansu Province, investigating the topic of ancient cosmopolitans. After his studies, he worked in Shanghai as a teacher and in New York City in the Asian art and antique auction industry. Outside of Milestone, László works as a researcher in the private sector and as an academic editor. Lászlo enjoys cycling, reading Philip K. Dick and gastronomy.

Lili is currently finishing her degree in International Business at the Corvinus University of Budapest, specializing in NGO funding alternatives and non-profit strategy and management. During her studies, she fell in love with the international aspect of her classes and spent an exchange semester in Vienna as well as in Los Angeles. Lili has been working for and volunteering at Amigos for the Children for several years now and led the Private Donation Strategy and the LEGO Project Communication teams for a year. Before joining Milestone Institute, she also worked as a Resource Allocation Intern and a Project Manager for a few years. In her free time, she enjoys playing board games with her friends, trying out different kinds of sports, travelling or just reading a good book.

Lilla is currently working in three schools as a school social worker. She received her BA degree in Psychology at the University of Pécs and her MSc degree in School Psychology at the University of Leiden. She also studied one year in the United States at Saint Lawrence University. Due to her parents’ job, she had the chance to live in several countries and study in international schools.

Luca Szemetová is currently doing her PhD in Film Studies with the project on the use of archival footage in Hungarian documentary films across three different socio-political contexts. She did her BA in English and American Studies at Charles University in Prague. After obtaining her MA in Nationalism Studies at the Central European University, Hungary, she moved to Scotland to do her second master’s in Film Studies at the University of St Andrews. Her research interests include the intersection of nationhood and cinema, post-socialist identity politics in visual media, and found footage appropriation in documentary films. In her free time, she enjoys learning new languages, hiking, and working on amateur film projects.

Luis Fernando Murillo studied Greek, Latin, German, and Philosophy at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Subsequently, he was awarded an M.A. in Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Neurophysiology from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He taught Human Anatomy and Neuroanatomy in Fribourg and Lausanne and was a guest researcher at the Karolinksa Institue in Stockholm and the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He was named Professor of Psychology and Philosophy at the American College of Switzerland and is currently professor of Psychology at McDaniel’s College. He is studying for a second Ph.D. in Logic and Philosophy of Science at ELTE. He has published three books and co-authored an article with Oxford University Press. The National Council for Culture and Arts in Mexico awarded him a prize for his Spanish translation of Stefan Zweig. Luis is interested in Philosophical Anthropology and the Intellectual History of Romanticism. He has been an IB teacher, workshop leader, and college counsellor in Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Thailand and China, where he has published numerous articles and interviews with the Shanghai Daily Press. Luis’ passion is classical piano. He studied this instrument at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto and at the St. Petersburg State Conservatory in Russia.

Marcell received his BSc in the United States from the University of Rochester in Brain & Cognitive Sciences, an interdisciplinary program at the intersection of Biology, Psychology and Philosophy. He completed his Master’s degree in Neural & Behavioral Sciences at the International Max Planck Research School in Tübingen, where he used fMRI to study attention, social cognition and consciousness. Subsequently, he spent a year performing academic research in Belgium, working with adolescents in car simulator experiments. He explored the relationship between risky driving and cognitive control. Subsequently, he also took part in an early stage drug development project targeting the cellular mechanisms that play a crucial role in the aging process of the brain. He is also proud of his sabbatical periods, during which he studied the Culinary Arts and Buddhism. In his leisure time he enjoys outdoor adventures involving mountains, bikes, sailboats or any combination of those.

Mitya has studied gender studies at Central European University and philology at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine, and has completed short research stays at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Södertörn University, Sweden. They earned their MA at CEU and are currently completing a PhD on how gender and embodiment were thought and written in the Russian avant-garde literature and philosophy of the 1930s. Their academic interests include Soviet and Russian studies, affect studies, human and the non-human, women’s literature and canon formation, biopolitics, and queer theory. They enjoy painting, running a small blog about rare and old Ukrainian words, learning new things, and long walks.

Veronika has a degree in International Relations from Central European University and Sociology from Corvinus University of Budapest. Her interest developed in the educational sector while she was a member of Széchenyi István College for Advanced Studies,

After graduating in history from the University of Glasgow, he tried his hand at many things. After a stint in a commercial gallery, he ended up working in events and education. He was involved in organising energy conferences in Budapest and participated in the operation of a language school. Following this, he joined Milestone Knowledge Port where he is responsible for cultural and community events. He is also involved in the organisation of the Future Hungary conference series. In his spare time he creates short films, animations and images using different techniques. He also enjoys running, spending time with his loved ones and music too.

Márton is research chair in law at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and senior legal adviser in the Administrative Division of the Kúria. He is the convenor of a Hungarian Academy of Sciences “Lendület” research group. He also works for a small regulatory consultancy company which advises large corporate clients. Márton is also affiliated with the Center for Ethics and Law in Biomedicine at Central European University. He received his undergraduate degree in Law from the University of Debrecen and his PhD – also in Law – from the University of Hull, United Kingdom. His academic and professional work focuses on European Union public and economic law, the regulation of public services and network industries, tax law, and biomedical technology regulation.

Melinda is a scholar, researcher and educator with an interest in varied fields, such as literary and political theory, memory studies, medical humanities, and the Arctic. She earned her MA degrees in English and German literature, linguistics and culture and her PhD in literature at Pázmány Péter Catholic University. She also holds a degree in translation and in conference interpreting. In her free time, she enjoys short and long hikes.

Melinda is a lecturer in drama and theatre studies, and a freelance theatre director and dramaturge. She is a graduate of Eötvös Loránd University (BA English and Film Studies, 2013; MA English Literature) and the National University of Ireland, Galway (2021, PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies). Since 2017, Melinda has lectured on BA and MA levels on the subjects of history of drama and theatre, directing and dramaturgy. Her field of research is the relationship of physical theatre and dramatic text, investigated from the perspective of theories of space and place and space dramaturgy. Beside her academic work, Melinda is also actively engaged in making theatre as a director and dramaturge, delivering projects mostly in Ireland and Hungary.

Miklós Vörös was born in Mohács, but lived most of his life in Budapest. After graduating from the Karl Marx University of Economic Sciences (now Corvinus University) in sociology and financial studies, he spent four years in the United States and earned a cultural anthropology MA at the University of Chicago. Since the beginning of the 1990s he has been teaching at various universities in Budapest, Brno, Chicago, Cluj, and Lund – mostly in the fields of cultural anthropology, sociology, cultural studies, and cultural heritage studies. Besides his ongoing educational and research activities, he was on the editorial board of two major Hungarian social science journals: Replika and Café Bábel, as well as translated and edited numerous books, book chapters, and journal articles. Over the past fifteen years he has also worked as a cultural heritage development consultant, acting either as policy advisor or project monitoring expert. In his spare time Miklós enjoys travelling, watching films, and running in the Buda Hills.

Olga comes from a Hungarian-Russian family and she spent her university years living in Japan. She obtained degrees in International Relations at the University of Tokyo (BA) and Waseda University (MA), as well as Corvinus University (MA). Since her graduation in 2009, she has been working in international cooperation and development, as well as in the art sector, including projects in Europe, Asia, Africa and the US. Olga is a certified coach and currently studies Art Therapy.

Olivia Fero holds a joint Hons degree in Fine Art and History of Art from Goldsmiths College, the University of London where she specialised in sculpture and art theory. She has had the unique opportunity to study Fine Art at both the Slade (UCL) and Central St. Martins; she has also spent time at the Design Academy in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. She holds a postgraduate certificate in Steiner Waldorf education and CELTA in TEFL from International House Budapest. This is complemented by many years of teaching experience in different educational settings.

Orsolya is a TEDx speaker, guest contributor to HVG magazines and Forbes. She is a frequent speaker at conferences, as well as conducts workshops and trainings both in Hungary and abroad. With the Milestone Solutions Lab team, Orsolya supports multinational companies, small businesses and NGOs to create effective and people-centered organisational cultures. Orsolya was picked as one of the 50 under 30 talents in 2015. Her book Generational myths – How to prepare for future challenges arguing for defining generations not based on the past, but the future was published in May 2019 by HVG Books.

Orsolya is an evolutionary biologist, with a passion for both research and education. She received her Master’s diploma from Eötvös Loránd University in 2007, with a specialisation in Evolutionary biology, Ecology and Systematics. Five years later she received her Ph.D from the same institution from Behavioural ecology and Evolutionary biology. Orsolya then moved to the United States for a Postdoctoral Scholarship at Dartmouth College, NH, where she started looking into the effects of climate change and physiology, which was followed by a second Postdoc at UFRN in Brazil. Upon returning back home, she turned her attention towards the evolutionary dynamics of emerging infectious diseases, which she is currently working on in collaboration with the University of Nebraska (USA) and Centre for Ecology Research (Hungary). Throughout her academic career, Orsolya was highly interested in science communication and educational techniques, particularly in those related to STEM education. She taught classes in Systematics throughout my Ph.D., was elected vice-president of Dartmouth College Postdoctoral Association where she organised networking events, conferences and outreach programmes, and continued mentoring and teaching graduate and undergraduate students at UFRN. In Hungary, she worked as senior lecturer at Duna International College organising the curriculum of the Pre-Medical programme, and took an active role in science communication. She was a finalist in the 2018 FameLab competition at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, was invited as keynote speaker to a FameLab-Scindikátor event, to MemoBudapest, and the 2019 FameLab finals. Her aim is to share her passion for science and evolution and break down the barriers between scientific and non-scientific audience, claiming knowledge is for everyone.

Orsi is a PhD student of the Interdisciplinary Social Research Program of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. Her main interest is human-animal relationship with a multispecies ethnographic approach. In her ongoing research she focuses on the relatedness and everyday practices of co-existence between street dogs and humans in Istanbul. Parallel to her engagement in social sciences she is also active as a museum educator. In the last three years she has been working on the art mediation program for elementary and high schools at Kassák Museum.

Pál was born into a mathematician family. After he got his MA degree at Eötvös Loránd University he made his PhD studies at the University of Cambridge. As a postdoctoral researcher, he worked in Cambridge first and then in Hungary. He was teaching in Mathematics pathway classes in high schools. At the moment he lectures at the Mathematics Division of Central European University. He researches mainly group theory, but also interested in algebra and number theory.

Patricia holds a Master’s Degree in Ballet, was a member of the Corp the Ballet in the State Opera House for 3 years. Studied Artistic Management at MOME. Worked as a TV presenter and editor for 6 years for Music Television Hungary and TV2. In the meantime as getting more and more involved in the art scene she got the opportunity to work for a major contemporary institute as the Head of Communication. She spent 7 years at the Ludwig Museum. Lately studied at the Gate of Dharma Buddhist College. She is interested in gastronomy, contemporary art, ballet and modern dance, philosophy.

Péter grew up in a small town in northern Hungary on the Slovakian border, called Salgótarján, in a small family. He was lucky, that instead of the generally obligatory Russian, He could study English from an early age in an experimental class. Péter went to the local vocational high school for economics and trade, then went to the local institution of the College of Finance and Accountancy (now called Budapest Business School). In the early 2000s, He came to Budapest and found a sales job at a small Hungarian leasing firm at the height of the credit boom. In 2006 He got a job at IBM Global Financing, and has worked there for 13 years. He served in various positions, always focusing on financial and business analysis and not going to management. In 2019, their division was sold to Lenovo and he was also transferred as a senior analyst.

Born in the UK in 1949 and schooled in London, Peter studied Botany and Biochemistry at the universities of Reading and London before doing his PhD in Genetics at Tübingen University in Germany. His research career started in London where he investigated bioenergetic problems in mitochondria and chloroplasts. In Tübingen he worked on bacteriophage DNA replication before writing his PhD about making and characterising monoclonal antibodies as probes of eukaryotic chromosomes. He was a lecturer at the University of Düsseldorf in Germany and received a large WHO grant for molecular biological research on the human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. Moving to commerce in 1990, he was CEO of successful Biotech start-ups in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. He was also a lecturer in Physiology at the veterinary Faculty of the St. Istvan University in Budapest, where he taught German students. He joined Milestone in 2020, becoming head of Natural Sciences in 2021 and chair of Life Sciences inn 2022. He is very actively enganged in STEM teaching, especially in the field of Genomics and in the application of multiomics in Biological research. He is still a consultant for the Hungarian company SCICONS. Until 2021 SCICONS was the world’s only supplier of monoclonal antibodies against double stranded RNA that are very actively being used by scientists investigating SARS-CoV-2 and for the QC of Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines. These antibodies are now manufactured in Holland for a US-based company.

After obtaining her BA degrees in Psychology (ELTE) and International relations (Corvinus University of Budapest), Sára completed an MA in Conflict Studies and Human Rights at Utrecht University. She had the chance to spend a semester at the University of Copenhagen, and to be Hungary’s youth delegate to the EU between 2019 and 2020. Sára has worked with, and volunteered for NGOs engaged in mental health education, youth rights and aiding refugees, and is currently employed at a think tank where she manages social research projects. In her freetime, she is an avid home baker and hobby runner.

After graduating in Communication and Media Science I decided to live abroad and take a gap year or two – this eventually turned into a decade-long experience. After working in the US and Italy for a few years I have moved to Denmark. Here, I first attended a højskole, then I obtained a Master’s degree in European Studies. After living and working in the country for a couple of years I decided to get a CELTA certificate in Budapest and in a short while I found myself moving to Ecuador and teaching at an American-funded private institution. Upon moving back to Hungary I started working as an office manager and finance assistant at a market leader HR company. After taking a short break, I handed in my application to Milestone Institute. I enjoy running, hiking and I love board games. I aim to read at least one book every week. I am firm believer and follower of life-long learning.

From holograms to atomic compasses, Thomas investigates, through blue–sky considerations, light–matter interaction in as many forms as possible: both in theory and practise.

Outside of studying optical and atomic traps however, his current projects involve creating tools for better manipulation of equations and developing a language-learning program for better manipulation of Hungarians. Particularly his wife.

Tünde holds two MA degrees from ELTE (English Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and a CELTA from Cambridge Assessment English. In her 15+ years in the field of education, she has gained varied and extensive experience in teaching, teacher training and academic development, as well as academic and business management, across various roles in Hungary and the UK.

Before joining Milestone Institute, Tünde was leading the Examinations Services Department at British Council Hungary. Prior to that, she spent six years in the UK, where she taught on pre-Master’s and university foundation programmes at the University of Birmingham and in Oxford, held the post of Academic Manager at Eurocentres Cambridge, and also worked as a freelance expert for the Council of Europe on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and for Macmillan Education UK on CEFR-related projects.

Veronika has a degree in International Relations from Central European University and Sociology from Corvinus University of Budapest. Her interest developed in the educational sector while she was a member of Széchenyi István College for Advanced Studies, that’s why she joined to Solutions Lab’s educational consultancy team. When she is not at Milestone, she is part of the organizing team of Bánkitó Festival. In her freetime, she enjoys painting, dancing tango or discovering new underground pubs in Budapest.

Zsanett is a graduate of the University of St Andrews where she achieved a degree in Philosophy. Before returning to Hungary, she was traveling in Bali while working as a freelance graphic designer. She moved back to Budapest in 2018 and joined Dentons International Law Firm as a Project Coordinator and Art Consultant, sourcing and buying new artworks for private collections. She is also board member of the Artisan Art Foundation, dedicated to support upcoming Hungarian contemporary artists. In her free time she does a lot of sport, spends time with her friends and she tries to travel as much as possible.

Zsófi has an MSc degree in Marketing from the University of Pécs. She has over 20 years of experience in offline and online marketing, as well as operational process management. As the Institute’s office manager she strives to make the Institute run as smoothly as possible and to create the most optimal – noticeable and unnoticeable – working conditions. In her spare time, she is learning Spanish and regularly practices yoga and meditation. Be careful, the loud surface hides a calm personality.

Zsóka is a theoretical evolutionary biologist, doing research on the evolution of cooperation in humans and other animals. She received both her MSc and PhD degrees at the Eötvös Loránd University. During her PhD studies she has spent 3 months at the Newcastle University, and 6 months at the Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research. During the years of her studies she worked as a social and cognitive trainer for children with ADHD. She has also worked for a couple of months as a nurse at a child and adolescent psychiatry department. Before and during all the above, she has spent plenty of time learning, playing, singing and arranging classical music.

Zsolt is teacher of English and Political science, as well as a PhD candidate in Security studies focusing on the analysis of American foreign and security policies and the intellectual historical ramifications of decision-making. He studied American, European and Political studies at the University of Szeged, and also spent some great months at universities in France, Finland and the United States, broadening his scope of interests in digital education practices, media literacy and global communication studies. For the last two decades, he has been keenly involved, particularly in two major kinds of activities: teaching and traveling, Zsolt has got extensive teaching experiences in various secondary and higher educational institutions from Hungary through Finland to the United States. Furthermore, he has quite deeply familiarised himself with the culture, history and scenery of more than 43 countries so far, from USA, Iceland to Palestine. Besides the versatile academic interests and activities (teaching, studying and conducting research) in his free time he loves hiking, travelling with his kids and watching great movies.

Zsolt studied Pedagogy in Witten (Germany), and Architecture, Linguistics, History and Philosophy in Budapest. He holds an MA in History and Philosophy. After pursuing research in Budapest, Vienna, Oxford and Leiden, he obtained a PhD in Philosophy jointly from Leiden University and Central European University in 2010. In his final year in the Netherlands, he worked as a research assistant at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in Wassenaar. Upon his return to Budapest, he was first engaged in developing projects with Kreater Social Innovation Lab. Currently, apart from his work at the Milestone Institute, he is tutoring English and mathematics and continues his research in philosophy. Zsolt enjoys cycling and swimming, and he has a fair interest in politics, theatre and cinema.