IRI People

IRI Co-Directors

Dr. Maciej Kisilowski, IRI Co-Director and Assistant Professor of Law and Public Management. Professor Kisilowski received master in law degree from Yale Law School, M.P.A. in economics and public policy from Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, and M.B.A. with distinction from INSEAD. He also holds Ph.D. in law and M.A. with distinction from Warsaw University and is currently completing another doctorate in legal science at Yale. His research interests include theory of regulation and public management. He has taught at Yale and Warsaw University College of Technology and Business and has consulted numerous public and nonprofit organizations, including Secretariat-General of the European Commission, Committee for Economic Development (Washington D.C.) and Offices of the President and the Prime Minister of Poland. His recent publications include the book „Law of Nonprofit Organizations – Functional Analysis” [Prawo Sektora Pozarządowego – Analiza Funkcjonalna] published in 2009 by LexisNexis Poland.  

Dr. Bernadett Koles, IRI Co-Director and Associate Professor of Psychology and Quantitative Studies. Professor Koles holds a Master as well as a Doctorate degree from Harvard University, Cambridge MA, and a Bachelor of Science with distinction from Indiana University, Bloomington IN. Her educational background is in the field of psychology, which she has applied to the areas of business, management and policy making. Her teaching portfolio includes courses in decision making, organizational psychology, coaching, and topics in quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Her primary areas of research interests are two-fold; on the one hand, she investigates aspects of leadership, organizational climate and strategy development in companies throughout the Central and Easter European Region. On the other hand, she focuses on advancing education in an increasingly international climate. Professor Koles has been a faculty member at CEU Business School since 2003, and has served as an Academic Director of the institution's Undergraduate Programs.

IRI Resident Fellows

Ivelina Genchovska is a full-time MBA student at CEU Business School. She holds Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, with specialization in Marketing management, and BA in European Studies from the American University in Bulgaria. Before joining CEU Business School and IRI she has worked as Financial Controller at ExxonMobil Hungary. At IRI she is responsible for editing Regulatory Innovation - a monthly update of the Center - as well as providing research support to IRI Co-Directors.

Jana Jaseckova holds a law degree from the University of Pavol Jozef Safarik in Kosice in Slovakia and LL.M in Comparative Constitutional Law with specialization in EU law from Central European University in Budapest. She was working for Open Society Justice Initiative in Budapest for National Criminal Justice Reform program as a Legal Fellow. Since 2009 she is enrolled in a SJD program at Central European University, where she is researching parliamentary functions in comparative perspective.

Peter Nagy holds a Bachelor and a Master of Science in Psychology, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Corvinus University of Budapest, where he is focusing on areas of marketing and consumer behavior. Among other topics, Peter explores creative ways of practical implications associated with social media and online environments for the purposes of organizations and educational institutions, using quantitative as well as qualitative methodological tools.

Elena Tosana is a full-time MBA student at CEU Business School. She holds a Masters Degree in Far Eastern Languages and Culture and possesses more than 10 years’ experience in designing and implementing corporate strategies specifically formulated for the fast-paced, ever changing Chinese and Asia Pacific markets. Calling on her own European heritage and her extensive experience in Asia, Elena has led the investment projects of renown Italian SMEs in China; in 2008 she joined the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce, a semi-governmental body, covering the position of Secretary General and dedicating herself to the consolidation of bilateral political and commercial relations between the two countries. At IRI, Elena is responsible for relations with IRI strategic partners and for providing research support to IRI Co-Directors. 

Non-Resident IRI Fellows

Martin Hergert studied Business Administration in a dual degree program of TU Bergakademie Freiberg in Germany and CEU Business School. During his studies, he specialized in Finance, Real Estate Studies and Economics of the Public Sector and graduated first-of-class from CEU Business School’s 2009/2010 fulltime MBA course. At IRI he researches on the latest reforms of the German pension system to complete his German degree with a thesis (“Diplomarbeit”). He also consults on web design and online communication.                                                                                                      

Elena-Codrina Laiu is a full-time MBA student at CEU Business School. She holds Bachelor of Economics and Master in Human Resource Management from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Iasi, Romania. She has significant work experience as the European Structural Funds consultant in Romania. At IRI, she develops original case studies on business-government interactions and coordinates applications for research grants.

Timea Pal is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA with a specialization in comparative and international political economy. Timea's research focuses on the regulation and developmental implications of global productions networks, with a regional emphasis on Central and Eastern Europe. She holds an MA in Applied Sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and a BA in Business Economics from the West University of Timisoara, Romania.