Faculty

Irena Petrović works as an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.  She teaches courses at all three levels of sociology studies: Social System and Social Change in Serbia, Introduction to Economic Sociology, Research Design, Statistics in Social Research – Introduction, Statistics in Social Research – Inference, and Statistics in Social Research. She also teaches at the master's studies of the University of Belgrade - Advanced Data Analytics.  She has participated in numerous national and international research projects. She is the author of one monograph and co-author of numerous scientific papers published in national and international peer-reviewed journals (see list attached). She has participated in numerous national and international academic conferences.

Milica Vesković Anđelković completed her BA studies in Philosophy and obtained her PhD in Sociology at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy. She is currently an Associate Professor at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Sociology. Milica teaches a several courses on the BA, MA and PhD level at the Faculty of Philosophy. She has published numerous papers in domestic and international journals, presented at conferences of national and international importance, and delivered guest lectures (Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Sigmund Freud University Vienna). She has participated in numerous national and international research projects, especially in migration and diaspora studies. She is the local coordinator of the TESI project.

Dragan Bagić is a Full Professor in the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. His research expertise includes the sociology of politics, industrial relations, the sociology of migration, and social research methodology. At his institution, he teaches courses in Sociological Theory, Sociology of Politics, Introduction to Industrial Relations and Workers' Participation, and Applied Sociology. Professor Bagić has authored or co-authored four monographs and more than thirty papers in scientific journals and books. He has received the State Award for Science in recognition of his contributions to the field. In addition to his academic publications, he has extensive experience conducting applied social research and has authored numerous applied studies. He is also an experienced project manager, having led over 100 scientific, applied, and commercial projects, including several major development and infrastructure initiatives funded by the European Union. Professor Bagić has held significant administrative roles at his faculty, notably serving as Vice-Dean for Science and International Cooperation. He currently serves as the National Coordinator of the European Social Survey for Croatia, is a member of the National Council for Higher Education, Science, and Technological Development, and is a trade union activist.

Jasmina Božić (University of Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences) bridges the gap between academic theory and community impact. Specializing in the sociology of food, rural development, and the third sector, she utilizes the sociological imagination to foster a vision of applied public sociology. Her teaching focuses on transforming students into local innovators by providing them with hands-on skills in project design and evaluation. This practical approach is informed by her extensive professional experience evaluating civil society initiatives for Croatia's National Foundation for the Development of Civil Society. Her commitment to civic engagement is personal as well as professional; building on her research in human rights and democratic citizenship, she recently launched a voluntary peace and non-violence program for preschool children in her local Zagreb neighbourhood.

Enis Sulstarova is a senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses related to identity politics in Albania and the Balkans. During 2013–2015, he was a Marie Curie Fellow at the Georg Eckert Institute in Braunschweig, Germany. His research interests and publications focus on nationalism, identity politics, political sociology, and the idea of Europe.

Marsela Sako is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tirana. She teaches several courses in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programs. Her research focuses on international and regional politics, conflict resolution, and foreign policy. Her areas of interest also include youth empowerment, democratic development, social change, and social inclusion. She has participated as an expert and project manager in numerous national and international projects within the social sciences.

Mirjana Bobic is a Full Professor at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Sociology. Areas of lectures and interest cover: social demography, migration, diaspora, population studies and policy. She has published 10 books, more than 100 peer reviewed papers in national and leading international journals, was invited speaker at European Population Conference, at Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Alma Mater Studiorium - University of Bologna, European University Viadrina (Germany), etc. She was a national leader of the ERASMUS + consortium 'GlocalEAst' ('Developing a New Curriculum in Global Migration, Diaspora and Border studies in East-Central Europe'). She has a long term research experience and is a member of: the Institute of Sociological Research, Faculty of Philosophy and of the Department for Population Studies, Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Riccardo Prandini is a Full Professor of Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes. His research focuses on the structural and cultural transformations of Italian families, changes in national welfare systems, personalized social services, shifts in social service governance cultures, and social innovation.

He has participated in numerous national (PRIN) and European research projects, and has served on national observatories for family and equal opportunities. Professor Prandini edits the book series Coincidentia Oppositorum (Mimesis) and Vite Parallele (FrancoAngeli), and has authored extensive publications, translations, and research reports.

He is a board member of the Italian Scientific Society of Sociology, Culture, and Communication (SISCC) and serves as Director of both the Master's in Governance and Innovation of Local Welfare and the Advanced Training Course (CAF) in Welfare Community Manager at the University of Bologna (Unibo).

Arianna Taddei is Full Professor of Didactics and Special Education at the University of San Marino (since October 2025). She previously served as Associate Professor at the University of Macerata (2017–2025) and obtained her PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Bologna. She has over twenty years of experience in training and research on social and educational inclusion within the framework of international and academic cooperation, with projects funded by the Italian Development Cooperation and the European Union. Her work has focused on supporting the development of inclusive education policies and practices in El Salvador, Palestine, and Mozambique. Her main research interests include inclusive education, intersectionality and disability, the empowerment of women with disabilities, and the professional development of mainstream and special education teachers.

Riccardo Varini is Director of the Bachelor's Degree Program in Design and Associate Professor of Design at the University of San Marino, where he has served as a member of the Academic Senate since 2019. He is an architect and designer working within interdisciplinary teams, developing public projects for social purposes in the fields of sport, healthcare, and culture across Europe and internationally. His research focuses on the expressive character of materials as a reflection of local cultures and as a medium of mediation between humans, nature, and place. Since 2017, he has been Scientific Coordinator of the UNESCO Coordination Unit for the Management Plan of the World Heritage Site 'San Marino and Mount Titano.' He received international awards from ADI and UNESCO for educational projects in product design and design for cooperation.

Mateja Sedmak is a Full Professor of Sociology and Head of the Institute for Social Studies at the Science and Research Centre Koper. Her research interests include ethnic and intercultural studies, migration and integration processes, social inequalities, and inclusion of vulnerable groups, including migrants, children and women. She coordinated the first Slovenian Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action project, MiCREATE – Migrant Children and Communities in a Transforming Europe (2018–2022). Since 2022 she has served as the national coordinator of the European research infrastructure programme Growing Up in Digital Europe. She is President of the Slovenian Sociological Association and Head of the Section for Intercultural Studies.

Zorana Medarić holds PhD in Sociology and is a research associate at the Science and Research Centre Koper. Her research focuses on childhood studies, child-centred research, and qualitative methodologies. Her work also includes a focus on socially innovative methodologies and community-based research approaches for the inclusion of vulnerable groups. Between 2013 and 2020, she served as the Head of the Public Opinion Research Centre. She has participated in numerous national and international research projects and is currently involved in the longitudinal childhood study within the European infrastructure programme Growing Up in Digital Europe (2022–). She has experience in teaching and mentoring students. She was awarded research fellowships for research work at the University of Canterbury, National Centre for Research on Europe, New Zealand, NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, and the University of Pannonia, Hungary.

Magda Spella is an Assistant Professor at the Biology Lab, School of Sciences and Technology, Hellenic Open University, Greece. Her field of research is in the molecular basis of diseases, with a focus on cancer, cancer driver mutations, cancer epigenetics, 3D cultures and novel therapeutics. She also has experience in digital education, e-learning, and long-distance educational tools, as well as in the use of statistical tools (SPSS, R, one-way and two-way ANOVA, power analysis, etc.). She has considerable teaching experience in undergraduate and postgraduate educational programmes and has coordinated and participated in several educational and research national and European projects.

Achilles D. Kameas is Professor of Pervasive and Mobile Computing Systems at Hellenic Open University (HOU). He is Vice-President of the Board of HOU Lifelong Learning Center and member of the Deanery of the Faculty of Science & Technology. He founded the DAISSy Research Group in 2000. At international level, he is a member of the Executive Board, Institutional Coordinator for HOU, and Leader of WP3 'Widening participation of under-represented groups in Higher Education and Lifelong Learning' of the OpenEU European University Alliance. Achilles has participated in more than 120 EU and national R&D projects, published more than 250 scientific articles, co-authored more than 10 books and received more than 5,000 citations. His research interests include digital skills, STEAM education, smart environments, inclusion and equality, and social innovation.

Klejd Kellici is a political scientist and lecturer at the University of Tirana whose research focuses on state-building, political development, memory politics, and the relationship between power, institutions, and society in Southeastern Europe.  

Ezio Micelli is Full Professor of Real Estate Economics at the Università Iuav di Venezia, where he directs the U-Rise Master's programme in Urban Regeneration and Social Innovation and coordinates the IMPACT research cluster on the economic and social impact of city and land interventions. His research focuses on the economics and management of urban plans and projects, with particular attention to innovative tools in land policy. He served as Deputy Mayor for City Planning of the City of Venice (2010–2013) and as a member of the national working group for urban planning reform at the Ministry of Infrastructures (2014).

Elena Macchioni is Associate Professor of Cultural Sociology at the University of Bologna, Department of Political and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), corporate welfare, work-life balance, social innovation, and territorial welfare systems, with particular attention to multi-stakeholder governance, cross-sector partnerships, and the co-design of innovative welfare policies. Her research investigates how changes in family relationships, gender equality, and intergenerational dynamics shape care responsibilities and influence the design of corporate welfare, work-life balance policies, and inclusive welfare systems.
Since 2023, she has served as Scientific Director of the Technical and Scientific Committee of the Italian National Observatory on the Family, established under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers – Department for Family Policies. She is also Scientific Coordinator of the National Observatory on the Welfare Needs of Working Carers, promoting research and policy initiatives aimed at supporting work-life balance, family well-being, gender equality, and inclusive welfare systems.
She has participated in several national and European research projects and collaborates with public institutions, companies, social economy organizations, and Third Sector actors in the design, implementation, and evaluation of innovative welfare policies and social innovation initiatives.
Her teaching combines sociological theory with experiential learning, integrating case studies, participatory design, and multi-stakeholder simulations to equip participants with the knowledge and practical skills needed to design, implement, and evaluate innovative social policies and welfare initiatives.