OUR STAFF

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 Milestone Institute. Before joining Milestone Institute, he had 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 had 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 studied economics and the history of religion in Hungary and England. He was teaching economics for a while. Prior to founding Milestone Institute, he spent four years at a multinational company. He spends his free time with his two daughters, he plays the drums, readds, does crossfit, and is a rabbi-in-training.

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 in languages, in classical and late antique culture, the philosophy of sciences. He spends much of his spare time either cooking and baking in the kitchen, learning languages or doing sports, especially swimming and running.

Dániel Gönci joined the Milestone team as Chief Executive Officer at the end of 2025 with the aim of connecting Milestone’s different pillars into an integrated organisation and leading the Milestone Institute into its next phase of international expansion.

He was part of the first graduating cohort of Lauder Javne School in Budapest, where as a student he actively contributed to shaping the culture of a newly founded institution. He began his studies in mathematics and physics teacher training, and later earned his MA in Psychology from ELTE in 2004, specialising in cognitive psychology as well as work and organisational psychology. He is the father of four teenage children.

He brings nearly twenty years of leadership experience from the for-profit sector. His career spans roles at Adecco and Profession.hu, followed by senior digital product and executive positions at Young & Rubicam and Szallas Group. At Milestone, he combines the Institute’s decade-long academic excellence and community strength with his own experience in business leadership and organisational development.

In his free time, he enjoys travelling and has visited nearly fifty countries across five continents. His journeys have included a backpacking adventure in South America, an expedition in Sri Lanka, a year working in Malaysia with his family, and launching a digital product at a conference in Las Vegas. For him, travel is at once exploration, learning and a shift in perspective.

Besides working at Milestone Institute, Ádám graduated from Corvinus University studying international business economics. Back in high school, he was working on Erasmus+ projects, and organised several field trips and events. He further developed his project leadership skills by founding the university’s first English-speaking investment club and leading it as its co-president. In his freetime, he volunteers as an English teacher for a nonprofit organization working for the reintegration of people with disabilities to the open job market. He likes swimming and travelling to the oddest corners of the world.

Peti embarked on his higher education journey at Hungarian Dance University, then, he pursued his studies in Spanish and English at ELTE, delving into the world of languages and literature. During his high school years, he embarked on a life-changing adventure as an exchange student in Argentina, immersing himself in a new culture and language.

Ádám completed his BA in English and American Studies at ELTE and during his student years he started working in the IT sector. Later he continued his career in IT as a Project Manager and spent the next 10 years in this role in various companies. He is on his way to complete his degree in Mental Health Studies at Károli Gáspár University. He loves travelling, pizza, spending time with his partner and their senior dog.

Adrian Matus defended his PhD in History and Civilization at the European University Institute in February 2022. Previously, 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. His academic interests focus on creative forms of dissent against the state in the 20th century, archival studies and the comparative history of Eastern and Central Europe. Within his modules at Milestone Institute, he favours history from below approaches, particularly oral history and public history. In the past, 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 in Florence, and an assistant archivist at the Open Society Archives in Budapest. From 2020, he is also teaching at the Open Learning Initiative Budapest (OLIve), an inclusive learning initiative for people who have experienced displacement, including asylum seekers and those with refugee status. At OLIve, Adrian has taught social sciences and the secret histories of Budapest. His book, titled “The Long 1968 in Hungary and Romania,” was published in 2024 with De Gruyter. In his free time, Adrian enjoys gardening, going to the theatre, and travelling.

Adrienn completed her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics and her Master’s degree in International Management at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). After graduating, she joined T-TUDOK and the Centre for Creative Learning and Teaching (Kreatív Tanulás és Oktatásért Alapítvány, KTOA), where she works as a project coordinator on innovative educational programmes supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds in accessing higher education. In her role, she enjoys bringing together educators, researchers, and students to create opportunities for inclusive and creative learning.

In her free time, she loves to travel and discover new cultures. She has always been passionate about sports, especially fencing, which she practised professionally for several years and later taught as a fencing coach in Austria.

Trained as a historian, Ágnes was a post-graduate research scholar at the University of Cambridge when she realised that besides learning, her true passion lies in supporting others on their journey towards knowledge. Having indulged her interest in social and cultural history to the hilt, she turned towards education and young people and has never looked back.

Ágnes has over 20 years of experience in both formal and non-formal education, various educational methodologies, curriculum design, and course delivery. She joined Milestone in 2018 and led its Upper House for 5 years, heading a team responsible for over 200 students and more than 50 mentors, steering her students towards top universities worldwide. Later, as Lead Education Programme Designer in Milestone’s Solutions Lab, she led the development of innovative, internationally scalable education solutions with the mission of increasing equity of access to higher education. She is now a Master Mentor and Module Leader.

In her free time, Agnes can be found in the vicinity of dance floors, bookstores, and anything involving sunshine and/or music.

Ágota holds a degree of Engineering and Management, specialized in Corporate Financial Analyzis, from Budapest University of Technology and Economics. She worked over 10 years for several multinational companies, out of that she spent 4 years in Belgium. She gained financial and controlling experience at long-established companies in FMCG and automotive industry. In her free time she likes baking, gardening and enjoys outdoor activities with her family.

Alexandra has a degree in trade and marketing, and she was working as an office manager for a while. Afterwards she gained substantial experience in the financial field, working with industrial and agricultural companies. Alexandra is working with us part time, she spends the remaining time with her beloved son. Finally and most importantly, Alexandra loves reading and travelling.

András was a Milestone student for four years before attending law and business studies LLB at the University of Warwick. Similar to his days as a Laika, he continued communication related activities during university, adjudicating British parliamentary debates in the UK, and holding remote public speaking seminars at Engame Academy. After moving back to Hungary, András was a legal trainee at the M&A practice at Dentons in Budapest, before becoming a consultant at the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency. Now, András is a mentor, module leader, and coach of the Milestone Debating Society. In his free time he enjoys going on hikes with his dog, and participating in other sports related activities with his friends.

Anna earned her BSc degree in Communication and Media Studies at Corvinus University of Budapest and is currently completing her MSc studies in Marketing at Eötvös Loránd University. During her undergraduate years, she played an active role in university life by volunteering in event organization and leading a small marketing team. Throughout her professional career, Anna has gained valuable experience in the fields of digital marketing, social media management, project management, and event organization, with a particular focus on creative content production and the implementation of online campaigns. In her free time, Anna likes to attend pilates classes and explore her passion for baking and cooking.

Anna studied History at the University of Warwick and Historical Research at Birkbeck College, University of London. Prior to starting her position at Milestone she spent three years working and studying in London. In her MA thesis she focused on the identity building project of Socialist Hungary through the institutions of leisure, including group vacations and children’s camps. She is hoping to pursue a PhD at some point, focusing on a similar topic but in a comparative manner between Hungary and Yugoslavia. In her free time she enjoys travelling, reading and theatre.

Balázs Hetényi is a theoretical physicist with interests in quantum mechanics and condensed matter physics. He holds a Ph. D. degree from Columbia University (chemical physics) and has authored about 40 original research papers. He has worked at a number of universities and research institutions in a number of different countries, and has taught pretty much all fundamental physics courses. He started out in chemistry (was a post-doc at Princeton University chemistry department) but his curiosity drove him progressively towards theoretical physics. Outside of work he spends time with his family. He is very happy to spend afternoons immersed in physics, mathematics, or philosophy books in the company of a caffe latte.

Boglárka Fedorkó is a dedicated NGO professional with over 15 years of experience working across grassroots and international movements for gender equality, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ rights. With a background in economics and communications, she has contributed to both local and global efforts to advance social justice, including work with organizations such as TGEU, ILGA-Europe, Romaversitas, and Mama Cash. Her professional journey is rooted in her commitment to intersectional feminist organizing, having coordinated numerous advocacy, research, and community empowerment projects that foster collaboration and policy reform.
In addition to her work in human rights, she is passionate about fostering collaboration between grassroots movements and global stakeholders, ensuring marginalized communities have a meaningful voice in shaping global policy. Outside of her professional endeavors, she enjoys mentoring young people and emerging activists, as well as engaging with art that explores themes of social change.

Beata studied Molecular Biology at University of Debrecen and holds PhD from Medical Science. During her PhD study she was visiting scientist at Cardiff University and at Taichung University of Science and Technology (Taiwan). Beata received a postdoctoral fellowship to Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel) and after her postdoc years she stayed in academic research in high ranked laboratories for several years. Beata’s main scientific interest is biochemistry, cell biology, metabolism, immunology, system biology and neuroscience. Beside academic research, Beata has several years experiences in biotech industry and in innovating startup world. In their free time, Beata loves sport, especially triathlon, cycling and open water swimming.

Boglárka is currently working on her PhD in interdisciplinary history at Eötvös Loránd University. Her research focuses on the changing ideas about the body and physical dis/ability in late state-socialist Hungary. Her research interests also include spatial experience and the critical study of the built environment. She holds a BA and an MA in Design Theory from the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design. Boglárka has recently started volunteering at Menedék (Hungarian Association for Migrants), and in her free time, she enjoys reading and running.

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.

After obtaining his M.A degree in International Relations at Central European University (CEU), Erdost stayed at CEU to complete his PhD in Political Science. His academic expertise lies in critical and feminist approaches to war and conflict, the politics of the human body, and political violence. In addition to his formal teaching experience at the Asian University for Women, he took part in CEU’s OLIve project, which provides education for the forcefully displaced people in Budapest, as a lecturer and tutor. He organized and participated in numerous conferences and lectures that sought alternative spaces and methods for knowledge production, and aimed to make education and institutions more accessible, horizontal, and decolonized. In his free time, he enjoys reading science fiction, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and reading theory.

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 Institute 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 have focused on literature, popular culture, and diversity, but parallel to them Dalma has been 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.

Dani is a hopeless idealist, very much interested in human rights and international (criminal) law issues. He studied at the Lauder Javne Jewish Community School in Budapest, then he continued his studies (thanks, among others, to Milestone Institute, of which he is a proud alumnus) in the Netherlands, France and the United States, obtaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees in International and European law.
He has worked in the Dutch fintech industry for “Adyen” on anti-money laundering issues, and has also provided legal advice to unrepresented individuals in the Bronx Civil Court in New York City. He is very concerned about local issues with a social aspect, so back in his high school years, he launched a civil society organization with some of his best friends, organizing various charity projects throughout the country. Currently he is interning for Transparency International.

Dániel Máté is an artist, designer and researcher. He graduated with an MSc in graphic design from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and is finishing his doctorate there. He is an assistant professor at Eötvös Loránd Science University Visual Art Department. His artistic and research practice primarily deals with the ideology and politics of large-scale infrastructures. His works were exhibited at prominent Hungarian exhibition venues such as the Budapest Gallery and the MODEM Center for Modern and Contemporary Art. He was also a co-editor of the books Approximating Borders: Artistic Research in Practice, and Elmélet és tudomány a művészeti gyakorlatban

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.

Diomides studied finance in England and Economics in Scotland and France. He has taught courses ranging from Political Economy to Probability Theory to undergraduate and master’s students in Paris and Hungary. His research was on the economics of property rights and the ergodic theory applied to decision-making.

Diomides’s previous work experience includes working as a trainee in a patent law firm in Cyprus, as Chief Librarian in an academic French library, as an analyst in an investment firm in Beijing, and as a trainee for the European Council in Brussels. He worked as a consultant advising large multinationals such as T-Mobile and Tesla to provide public European funds. His current role is as a quantitative associate at Morgan Stanley in Budapest.

Edina Kovács is a licensed psychologist who completed her Master’s in Social and Organisational Psychology at Eötvöd Loránd University, and spent a year at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam studying Cognitive Neuropsychology. With a background in Cultural Community Organisation and an accredited qualification in career counselling, she has spent years helping young people navigate career choices and further education decisions. Edina thoroughly enjoys doing research; she is currently working on her first publication exploring age-based prejudice and well-being in later life, a topic she intends to continue at PhD level. Beyond psychology and research, education holds a special place in her heart, something she actively pursues through workshop facilitation and voluntary work. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and going on walks with her dog Bella.

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.

Edit studied economics and business studies at Corvinus University of Economic Sciences, majoring in Corporate Finance and minoring in International Management. After several years of banking experience, she turned towards IT and started to work with Digital Transformation. She completed several major transformation projects in the Financial and Energy & Utilities sector in Hungary, Italy, Germany and Sweden. She is now leading a Start-up company in the financial & real estate market. She is proud mother of three children, in her free time she likes traveling, cooking, visiting festivals and concerts and spending time with friends and family.

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, as well as at the European University Institute in Florence. Emese is passionate about swimming, hiking and making ceramic objects.

Emőke received an MA degree in Law from the University of Szeged. Then she studied English Literature and Culture in Szeged, where her main research area was contemporary Anglo-American political fiction. She specialised in Translation and Interpretation and gained experience as a legal translator. She pursued an interest in education while working at the American Corner in Szeged, where she organised educational programmes and events for high school and university students. In her free time, she likes travelling, reading and doing Pilates. She is also interested in gardening and architecture and enjoys visiting famous gardens and historical estates around the globe.

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.

Eszter has completed her degrees in Literature and Aesthetics at Eötvös Loránd University, and in Cultural Heritage Management and Social Development in an Erasmus+ programme at Eötvös Loránd University and École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. Her vision of community and education is influenced by the time she spent as a student at Saint Ignatius College of Advanced Studies and College of Advanced Studies for Social Theory. In the past she has worked at the CEU Democracy Institute and at the Municipality of Budapest. She is a poet, she publishes poetry in Hungarian and is currently working on her first collection. She is a passionate ashtanga yoga practitioner in the tradition of the late Sharath Jois and a singer in the feminist autodidact choir Varsányi SzIrének.

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. She then earned her Master’s in Cultural Heritage Studies with a specialization in Religious Studies from Central European University. Before returning to Hungary, she spent two years pursuing a PhD in South Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and studied Thai at SOAS, University of London. Her research on the modern use and representation of early Buddhist art, particularly in Thai cultural memory practices, earned her the Best Religious Studies MA Thesis Award in 2019/2020, which she later published as an article in Political Theology. In her free time, Eszter enjoys exploring various genres of music, visiting cafés with her friends, doing yoga, cooking and tasting Italian and Asian food, and traveling around the world.

Eszter Szép loves sharing knowledge, is fond of learning new things, and enjoys inventing creative projects. When she is not teaching or mentoring at Milestone Institute, she teaches comics, visual culture studies, or other subjects at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) or works on the programs of the International Comics Festival Budapest. She has been invited to talk at Columbia University, Harvard Extension School, American University of Beirut, Ghent University, and UC Louvain. She received the Fulbright Award to Eugene, Oregon (USA) in 2023. Her monograph, Comics and the Body: Drawing, Reading, and Vulnerability, was published by Ohio State University Press in 2020. She has edited two publications of her students comics. As a mentor, her aim is to help students find their passion. In her free time, she does all things culture or runs. Further info at eszterszep.com.

Éva studied at Eötvös Loránd University and has degrees in Italian Language and Literature and in Media and Communication. After graduating, she moved to London and worked as an assistant at small-sized businesses. She was also volunteering at the Islington Law Centre in the Reception and Referral Team.
After returning to Budapest, she gained professional experience in sales operations at various IT companies. In her free time, she enjoys going to the movies, reading, and playing cards.

Gábor earned his degree in Psychology at Károli and also holds a qualification in Social Pedagogy. He works in counseling, training, and coaching. He teaches psychology and pedagogy, and has participated in several youth-related projects both in Hungary and abroad. He has trained in psychodrama, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and Ericksonian methods. He delivers trainings for non-profit organizations as well as companies. His areas of interest include organizational psychology, school psychology, and both school-based and individual counseling.

Gergő graduated as a biologist at Eötvös Loránd University and then awarded a Ph.D. degree in taxonomy and systematics at the same institution in 2012. He worked as a researcher at the Centre for Ecological Research (Vácrátót) for nearly seven years. During this time, he was a visiting academic at INRAE (France), Université de Neuchâtel (Switzerland), and London Natural History Museum (UK) for shorter periods. Since 2017, he has been teaching zoology and ecology-related subjects at the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (formerly Szent István University, Gödöllő). Alongside teaching, he also supports the research of students and the operation of the Zoology College for Advanced Studies. Gergő loves running, hiking, climbing mountains, gardening, and after that, reading to relax.

Gitta Markó is the chair of the Thought, Language & Behaviour pathway at Milestone Institute and she also works as a school psychologist. She completed her undergraduate degrees at Bard College (New York, USA) in psychology and violin performance, and got her master’s degrees from the University of Edinburgh and Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest in developmental psychology. She has conducted research on performance anxiety, self-compassion, as well as human sexuality.

Gréta has a BA degree in English Philology, and an MA degree with honours in Translation and Interpretation from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. When she is not at Milestone Institute, she works as a freelance translator. 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 crocheting and cross-stitching.

Gyula finished his psychology studies at ELTE, after first completing his economy degree at Corvinus University. He is also on his way to earn a PhD in psychology. He has experience with research in clinical psychology and customer experience, as well as practical experience in the field of mental health. In psychology Gyula takes a holistic perspective, with focuses on clinical and affective psychology as well as Jungian depth psychology. Aside from his academic life he is a passionate painter, leatherworker and cook. Now he is oriented to further the understanding of Artificial intelligence, from a psychological perspective.

Hanna graduated as a cultural organizer from ELTE TÓFK. Before joining Milestone, she worked as a press officer in Hungary and Austria, as a project manager at a translation agency, a babywearing consultant, and a chef. In addition to managing the Institute’s events, she spends her free time managing apartment renovations, making jam, and going to the opera.

Since childhood, Helga has had a passion for science, especially mathematics and biology. This inspired her to study molecular bionics engineering at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest, after which she obtained an MSc in Info-bionics Engineering. She wrote her MSc thesis based on her research in Oxford, building the prototype of a needle-free insulin pump. Afterwards, she continued her studies at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, where she studied the basics of entrepreneurship, which she now uses in practice in a company she co-founded.

Husam is a Research Fellow Assistant in the Department of Automation and Applied Informatics at Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). He teaches laboratory courses in C, C++, informatics, and data-driven systems, working with both undergraduate and graduate students.
He moved to Hungary in 2020 to pursue his PhD at BME, which he successfully completed in March 2025. His research initially focused on hardware security, particularly configurable ring oscillator PUFs.
In his free time, Husam enjoys playing sports, including football and table tennis, as well as board games such as Catan, Wingspan, and Blokus.

As Chief Product Officer, János oversees the development of international products, educational consultancy services and edtech solutions. Educated as a computational biologist in Budapest and London, he moved into education in 2015 after spending some time in biomedical research and industry. At Milestone, he started out with teaching and curriculum development in the natural sciences division, gradually rising to leadership roles in program management. He subsequently led the Teaching and Learning Department for four years, being responsible for Milestone’s interdisciplinary module system composed of 100+ courses delivered by academics and industry experts. In his role at Teaching and Learning, he pioneered Milestone’s Access Program, a year-long academic accelerator for diverse students with Milestone potential. In his current role, he aspires to develop the Milestone knowhow of navigating students towards globally competitive success pathways into a platform enabling digitally-powered upscaling, in order to enhance the global impact of the Milestone project.

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.

Juli is a neurobiologist with more than two decades of experience in research, teaching and science communication. She earned an MSc in Biology (2001) as well as in Teaching of Biology (2002) at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) Faculty of Science, where she also met most of her best friends and the guy who later became her husband and the father of their two children. While doing her PhD in neurobiology at the University of Pécs, Juli also worked as an editor for the the popular science weekly Élet és Tudomány (‘Life and Science”). In 2006 she moved to London with her husband and was very proud to be hired by Nature Publishing Group as an Associate Editor for one of the group’s medical journals. After returning to Hungary with her family and working for a Hungarian medical journal for a while, she applied in 2012 for a job at ELTE’s Bárczi Gusztáv Faculty of Special Needs Education where she has been working ever since as an Assistant Professor. Juli is teaching biomedical courses, such as Anatomy, Neuroanatomy and Embryology, and courses related to the pathology of various disabilities. Since 2019, she also teaches anatomy for international students at the English-language psychology BA program at Károli Gáspár University. Her main research topic is the prevalence of neuromyths – that is, false beliefs about the nervous system – in education. Her hobbies include contemporary literature, etymology and classical music (with experience in piano playing and choir singing.)

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.

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 completed his undergraduate studies at Kenyon College (USA), majoring in International Studies and minoring in Mandarin Chinese and Religious Studies. He also holds an MA in Sinology from Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, where he is completing a PhD at the ELTE Doctoral School of Linguistics. His research focuses on antique collecting and aesthetic discourses during the Song–Ming period in China. He has also studied at the Yunnan Nationalities University in Kunming, China, and conducted research in Gansu Province on East–West connections along the Silk Roads.

After studying comparative literature and cultural studies at ELTE, Lilla started writing her PhD at the University of Debrecen. Her academic interest revolves around representations of non-normative human bodies. She reads, interprets, writes about, and talks about contemporary Hungarian literature and comics on different platforms and with various people. She has experience teaching in diverse environments: she taught at both ELTE and UniDeb, worked in the education of underprivileged children as well as in organisations for gifted youth. She spends her free time playing board games and dancing.

Lukács Hayes is a Budapest-based urbanist and participatory expert. He holds a Sociology and Social Policy BA degree from Corvinus University of Budapest and and Political Science and Government MA degree from the Central European Univesity. Lukács is an alumni of Rajk College for Advanced Studies where he used to work as a Lecturer after graduation. In the past, he held a number of managerial roles in Momentum Mozgalom, a Hungarian opposition party, notably, managing to winning campaigns in Budapest and working as the Chief of Staff of one its MPs in the Hungarian Legislature. Lukács is the Co-Founder and Program Director of Katalizátor Program, a democratic learning program for youth in Hungary, and Co-Founder and Project Manager of Cooperative City, an urban research think-tank. Apart form teaching at Milestone, he is also a Visiting Lecturer at the Corvinus University of Budapest and serves as a Member of the Board of Directors at RÉV8 Zrt., the urban planning office of the Municipality of Józsefváros in Budapest.

Marco holds a BA in Translation and Interpreting, an MA in Contemporary Comparative History from CEU, and a PhD in Historical Studies. After his PhD, he worked as an archivist and researcher for OSA and for the Cold War History Research Center of Corvinus University. Marco joined Milestone in 2023 as a module leader and mentor. Apart from Milestone, he teaches languages privately: Italian, English, Spanish, Russian, and Hungarian as a foreign language. Marco loves reading, swimming and boxing.

Masha (Mitya) holds a PhD degree in Comparative Gender Studies from Central European University; they have studied philology at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine, and completed short research stays at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Södertörn University, Sweden, as part of their PhD studies. Masha’s research interests focus on literary masculinities and literary bodies, from Russian avant-garde literature and philosophy of the 1930s to contemporary Ukrainian fanfiction. Beyond that, Masha is interested in a broad array of topics, ranging from mediaeval heresies and the fairy belief in folklore to puppetry and contemporary viral prose. In their free time, Masha enjoys drawing and painting, watching silly things, and long forest walks.

Márton earned a Master’s degree in Teaching at Eötvös Loránd University, specializing in Spanish and Hungarian as foreign languages. Over the past ten years, he has taught in nearly every segment of language education, from language schools and public education to universities. Previously, he worked at Lauder Javne School, where he participated in numerous innovative educational development programs and mentored students in successfully achieving their higher education goals and securing admission to universities. Currently, he teaches Spanish and Hungarian as foreign languages at the International School of Budapest, preparing groups for their Cambridge (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. He is passionate about all aspects of education and applied linguistics, with a particular interest in gamification and audio-visual translation. When not teaching, he works as a dubbing dramaturge, attends improvisational theatre courses, enjoys learning new languages, and have even had the opportunity to explore the exciting world of the music industry as a member of a folk fusion band.

Márton is research chair in law at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and senior legal adviser in the Administrative Division of Curia, the highest judicial authority of Hungary. He is the convenor of a Hungarian Academy of Sciences “Lendület” research group. He also works for a small regulatory consultancy company which advises 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, her interests span various areas, and she is always ready to learn new things, but professionally she is engaged in literary and political theory. Her research encompasses topics such as the role and representation of memory, postcolonialism and Central Europe, science diplomacy 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, and her MA in International Relations at CEU. She is a trained conference interpreter (EMCI) and translator, with English, German and Hungarian as working languages. Thanks to various scholarships, she has visited universities in Germany, the UK and the US; and regularly gives talks at international conferences. Having more than a decade long higher education teaching experience and several years of mentoring experience, she enthusiastically assists students in exploring their academic interests. In her free time, she enjoys short and long hikes.

Miklós holds a PhD in Human Geography from Durham University, UK. His thesis explored urban segregation governance in the city of Miskolc, particularly through the lenses of penal and social policy. His broader academic interests include, but are not limited to, smart cities, gentrification, infrastructures, nationalism, and international development, as well as Marxist, post-structuralist, and postcolonial social scientific traditions. He previously worked as a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Geography at Durham University, where he taught numerous undergraduate modules including Social Research, Geographies of Crisis, Planet Under Pressure, and Urban Geography, and he was also involved in the running of student field trips. In his free time, Miklós is an avid home cook and enjoys playing blues and rockabilly on the piano, hiking in the forest, swimming, and angling.

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.

Azouz is a Teaching Assistant at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). He moved to Hungary in 2017 to pursue his Master’s in Computer Engineering at BME, later starting his PhD at the same university in 2019, which he successfully defended in 2024. Azouz teaches software development courses at BME and enjoys working on interdisciplinary research projects, applying his expertise in IT and machine learning to enhance processes in various industries. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, football, and board games with friends.

Saleem is an assistant professor at the department of Automation and Applied Informatics at Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Teaching computer science courses, mainly in programming and software development, to BSc and MSc students. His research interests are in the fields of pattern recognition and machine learning. He arrived in this beautiful country in 2017, where he finished his Ph.D. studies and enjoyed his time. He enjoy doing sports in my spare time, especially football and vollyball.

Ibrahim is a Computer Science and Engineering student at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), working toward his BSc with graduation expected in 2027. Originally from India, he holds a Diploma in Computer Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University and has been studying in Hungary on a full Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship since 2022. He loves helping people settle in and grow. He’s been an International Student Mentor at HÖOK since 2023, guiding over 50 international students through uni life, housing, culture shock, and everything in between, plus organizing big welcome events for 100+ people. Right now, he’s a Security and Central Services Trainee at Wizz Air, building cool data dashboards with Python, SQL, and Power BI, and doing AI security research at CrySyS Lab on privacy issues in generative models.

Outside of work and studies, Ibrahim loves travelling, meeting people from different cultures, and staying active through freestyle football and skating. He also enjoys cooking authentic Indian cuisine and believes that meaningful conversations often start around good food.

Ikram is pursuing a degree in Computer Science Engineering at Óbuda University. Originally from Pakistan, he studied Physics for two years before moving to Hungary, where he also worked as a Vice Principal and taught Physics and Mathematics at a high school.
During his time at Óbuda University, he has taken part in short-term research programs in China and Kosovo. He gained professional experience as a trainee at Givaudan and Lexmark Xerox, where he focused on Data Science and Analytics. Currently, he is researching Large Language Learning Models, with broader interests in Data Science, Cyber Security, and LeCun’s Representation Learning. Alongside his studies, Ikram volunteers and serves as an international student mentor at his university. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, watching movies, and traveling.

Nora studied Politics and Philosophy at the University of Sussex and Sociology at the Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena. She is mostly interested in issues of feminism and ecology. In her free time she does and teaches yoga and carries out her duties in the feminist movement she is part of.

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.

Réka graduated from Harvard University, where she concentrated in sociology and the comparative study of religion. Her main areas of focus were South-East Asian Buddhism and the social and religious changes related to globalisation. She spent a term studying at Khon Kaen University in Thailand, where she later also conducted her thesis research on the effects of contemporary social changes on Buddhism.
After earning her BA and MA, she returned to Hungary. She worked as a simultaneous interpreter and translator in public opinion research and market research for a decade and a half, before finding her real calling in education, specifically in working with teenagers. She taught at the Waldorf School of Pesthidegkút for six years.
Her favourite pastimes are rollerblading and having conversations. She spends her free time either with her partner and five kids or with her friends, and likes to do yoga in nature, preferably on the bank of a river or lake.

Robi is a Cambridge and UCL graduate with a background in social and political sciences. After graduating with an MSc in Public Policy, he pursued a career in the public sector in London. Upon returning to Hungary, he joined the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency where he currently works as a consultant. His interests include moral philosophy, health policy, and political psychology.

Rozália is a PhD student in the Astronomy and Space Physics program at ELTE, where she previously completed her undergraduate and master’s studies. As a visiting student, she also participated in the doctoral program at Princeton University.
As a student, she was always active in university life, serving as a mentor and holding several positions in the ELTE Faculty of Science Student Union. During her PhD, she also had the opportunity to teach, where she realized how important talent development is to her.
In her free time, Rozália enjoys hiking, reading fiction, and is always happy to discuss the difference between astronomy and astrology.

Rudolf Paksa was born in 1981 in Ajka, Hungary. He studied History, Philosophy and Library science, as well as some Archaeology and Linguistics at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest. He graduated as a historian and history teacher in 2006, and in 2012 he received his PhD in Modern Hungarian History from ELTE. Between 2009 and 2022 he worked as a historian at the Institute of History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and has taught as an associate lecturer at ELTE, Eszterházy Károly University of Eger, the University of Debrecen and the CEU Socrates Project in Budapest. He is an expert on Hungarian far-right movements, the interwar period, historiography and public memory, as well as the history of Hungarian cuisine. He enjoys hiking and discussing various topics with his friends either in emails or in the form of “zoom pubbing.” He is an avid debater. He loves movies and TV shows about historical and social issues.

Sára has studied psychology and international relations in Budapest and Copenhagen. She completed a master’s degree in Conflict Studies and Human Rights at Utrecht University, where she briefly worked as a researcher too. From her student years, she has been active in different civil society organisations, gaining experience in the fields of minority rights and youth policy. She has been working for Milestone as an external mentor since June 2021, until she joined full-time in May 2023 as the Head of Access Year. She is also supervising the Bridge Scholarship which provides full tuition waivers to talented students arriving from a Roma, or socially disadvantaged background.

Szofi studied at the University of South Wales, graduating with a BA in Media, Culture and Journalism before returning from Cardiff to her home base in Budapest. While studying and in the years that followed, she worked as a freelance journalist in TV and culture, and as an occasional translator of comics and graphic novels. Eventually starting full-time as a technical writer, she has been working in the profession since 2020, focusing on software documentation and improving CI/CD processes. She still enjoys writing reviews every now and then but mostly watches TV and movies for just fun these days, along with expanding her ever-growing Rubik’s cube and Lego collections and dabbling in graphic design.

Vyvy is a chemical engineer with specialisation in nuclear energy. She graduated from Imperial College London in 2024. She worked at the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency in the Nuclear Power Division, after earning a scholarship from the IAEA for her graduate studies.

Tünde has Master’s degree in Aesthetics and in English Language and Literature. She completed an ‘Art and Finance in the Global Market’ course at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London in 2013. She has been working as a tutor and curator for 10 years. She has extensive experience in teaching academic skills in the UK, mostly at the Centre for Global Programmes, University of York. She managed a contemporary art gallery and curated numerous shows in the fields of digital art, contemporary photography and video art in the previous years. Her main interests are contemporary art, community building and hiking.

Vera completed her masters in English and Japanese Language and Literature at Károli Gáspár University. Afterwards, she lived in Scotland and Japan before starting her career as a language teacher in Hungary. Later, when her children were born, her focus shifted to understanding the needs of newborns and new parents. She dreamed of creating a place where these would be supported with great care and quality. In 2008, her dream came true when she co-founded Hordozóház in Budapest and worked there until she joined Milestone. In her free time, she founded a unique collection of ethnographic baby carriers (included in the official Register of Cultural Values of Public Interest). Since 2021, counseling bereavement groups as a grief educator has been a special part of her life.

Viola graduated with a biology degree and then earned her PhD from ELTE. During her studies, she joined a research group at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Research Centre of Natural Sciences (now HUN-REN RCNS), where she’s been enthusiastically conducting experiments ever since. She also spent three years at the University of Hawaii and took shorter study trips to Philadelphia and Belfast. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and running.

Zalán works in the Capital Markets Team of CBRE, covering all M&A and brokerage deals in the Hungarian commercial real estate market. Prior to his current role, he worked in the wider field of structured finance and investment banking in London, Frankfurt and Budapest. Zalán has completed his MSc studies in finance at the London School of Economics (LSE), and holds a BA degree in Applied Economics from Eötvös Loránd University (Eltecon).

Zoltán was born in Szolnok, where he started his studies. He worked for many years in the field of turism and hospitality, trying himself in many different situations and working with various people. In his spare time he enjoys reading and hiking. He considers himself a curious person who is always open to learning new things.

Zoli graduated from Eötvös Loránd University with a degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Having started out as a language teacher in a secondary school in Budapest, he later began a new career in publishing, first as a translator of fiction and non-fiction. In 1997, he moved to the UK and two years later, started a 12-year stint working for Oxford University Press in the ELT Editorial department. Before joining Milestone, he set up and ran his own publishing services company back in his native Budapest. Besides his main profession, he is also a qualified wellness massage therapist, and has also been studying screenwriting at the Budapest Film Academy. In his free time, he enjoys films, literature and music as well as travelling and going on long walks around cities – focusing especially on his keen interest in modern urban architecture and city planning and the history of public transport.

After completing her BA in English Studies at the University of Pécs, Zsófi took a gap year to teach swimming and Physical Education to children of all ages in Bangkok, Thailand. She then obtained her MA degree and taught English as an extra-curricular activity in local kindergartens. Zsófi spent a semester in Haifa, Israel, where she attended pedagogical courses at Oranim Academic College of Education and participated in a case study of teaching English to Hebrew-speaking elementary school children. She was the Head of EDUC Office at the International Centre of the University of Pécs. She volunteers at Bátor Tábor and is passionate about helping others and doing the right thing. She swims about three or four times a week. She enjoys travelling and getting to know new people while trying international dishes she has never tried before.

Zsófi completed her higher education at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, where she trained as a teacher of mathematics and music. During her long-cycle teacher training programme, she gained valuable academic and professional experience through student research work, and she also spent an Erasmus semester at Université Paris-Est Créteil in Paris, studying mathematics. Her research focused on the ways board games can support the development of logical thinking and geometric intuition. She is especially interested in education, engaging approaches to teaching mathematics, and music. In her free time, she sings in a choir, enjoys spending time in nature, and likes doing sports. She especially loves cooking and baking, and one of her favourite ways to unwind is playing board games with friends.

Zsófi is a historian who has researched racial residential segregation in the United States. In her work, she is deeply interested in what makes us human in a world full of uncertainty. She graduated as a historian of the twentieth-century United States from Texas Christian University, where she will defend her dissertation in 2025. Zsófi’s research features aspects of American urban history, focusing on Texas. She regularly presents her research at international conferences. In her spare time, she enjoys teaching new skills to her animals and cultivating her permaculture garden.

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.

Zsuzsa is an economist graduated from universities in Hungary, Germany and France and lived 10 years in Chile. She’s got over 13 years of international work experience in leading positions in either the public and private sector speaking fluently 5 languages (English, Spanish, French, German and Hungarian). She has gained professional experience across the globe spanning from Advisor to the Chilean Minister of Economy, managerial roles in Sales & Marketing and HR to having her own start-up company. She is a very open-minded, empathetic and positive person with a handful of international experience to share. She has very much enjoyed teaching teenagers over the last couple of years as she also has 3 own daughters. Zsuzsa loves traveling and getting to know other cultures and people. Her hobby is teaching yoga once a week and she’s passionate about rock-climbing, trekking and sailing. She is somewhat a “bookworm”, too and enjoys reading books in original language.