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Archives: Boards

Anna Klas

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Anna Klas is a Communications Officer at the Aurora Central Office, where she has coordinated communications for the first phase of the Aurora European University Alliance. She coordinates communications and content delivery for Aurora’s EU-funded programmes. Her MSc thesis on social impact measurement was presented at the EMES International Research Conference in Frankfurt and co-published in the Social Enterprise Journal in 2025. Anna holds a BA in International Communications Management and an MSc in Policy, Communication and Organisation from VU Amsterdam. She is fluent in Dutch and English (C2), with working proficiency in Spanish (B1).

Pim de Boer

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As senior strategic policy advisor EU and EU Liaison, Pim de Boer pro-actively enlarges visibility, reputation and competitiveness of VU Amsterdam and Aurora universities at EU authorities, EU services, academic institutions and other stakeholders in Europe. This entails providing advice on strategy and policies related to EU programmes and acquisition, networking, representation and lobbying in Brussels and other countries for VU and Aurora universities. To effectively achieve results, Pim involves scientists, lecturers and staff in EU-related policies, meetings and other activities. These tasks can be summarised as being a knowledge broker and bridging mediator. This also relates to his background as pathobiologist and assistant professor, director of research and grants at a charity and patient organisation, and entrepreneur combining societal and scientific engagement.

Alexander Lindemans

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Alexander Lindemans is Programme Manager of Aurora. Originally from the Brussels region of Belgium, he holds a BA and MA in History from Ghent University and Charles University in Prague, and an MA in European Studies from the University of Amsterdam. He has worked in international education for a while, as an International Student Advisor at VU Amsterdam and as Academic Coordinator and Advisor for the PPE and Philosophy programmes.  
 Outside of work, he enjoys adventurous travel involving camping, bikepacking, and hiking and plays drums and piano.  

Ramon Puras

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Professor Ramon Puras recently assumed the role of Secretary General at Aurora. With a PhD in biomedical sciences focusing on HIV research, he’s known for establishing the Amsterdam University College and in his previous role as Dean of the Faculty of Education at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

Drawing from his extensive experience in higher education, Professor Puras is dedicated to enhancing programs by integrating cutting-edge research and emerging technologies. His passion for teaching the interdisciplinary course Gastronomy, the Art and Science of Cooking reflects his blend of interests in science, cooking, and education.

Martin Schwell

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Martin Schwell is the Vice-President in charge of European Affairs at Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC). He has been a professor of physical chemistry at UPEC’s Faculty of Science and Technology since 2013. He was its Vice-dean for International Relations between 2016 and 2022, and has worked for the international development of his Faculty.

Martin Schwell is an alumnus of the Freie Universität Berlin, where he studied and obtained his doctorate in 1998. He is currently attached to the Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques (LISA). He was head of the LISA Spectroscopy and Atmospheres group from 2011 to 2018. His research focuses on the ultraviolet spectroscopy of molecules of astrophysical and atmospheric interest. He has a passion for scientific events and has organised numerous international schools and workshops.

Anne-Karen Hüske

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Post Doc in Social Entrepreneurship Education at the Department of Management, Society and Communication (MSC) at Copenhagen Business School (CBS), Anne-Karen is also Associate Editor Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Academic co-lead and Institutional Coordinator for the Aurora European university alliance. She is passionate about responsible management, and contributes to social entrepreneurship, sustainability transformation of organisations, and responsible management education. Using qualitative and quantative methods, Anne-Karen researches inter- and transdisciplinary teams towards the sustainability transition of business and society.

Selma Porobic

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Selma Porobić obtained her PhD in migration studies from Lund University in Sweden and holds academic qualifications from the American University in Cairo, Fordham University in New York, and Oxford University in the UK. She is a globally recognised scholar who has extensively published on educational topics related to human rights and peacebuilding. With significant experience in academic administration, she has provided consultation services to government education and research institutions throughout the UK, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Western Balkans.

In 2018, Selma became part of the Rector’s Office at Palacký University Olomouc, where she serves as an advisor on the European Universities Initiative and heads the Aurora office as the Institutional Coordinator. She also leads the Aurora Capacity Development Programme for Central and Eastern Europe and the Aurora Karazin University Peace Education Hub in Ukraine. Additionally, she chairs the inter-alliance working group ‘Internationalisation and Global Outreach’ within ForEU4ALL, which unites 28 European university alliances.

Joan Miquel Canals

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Born in Pla del Penedès (Barcelona) in 1964, Joan Miquel Canals studied Chemistry at the University of Barcelona and completed his PhD in the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). He has been working as a lecturer at the URV since 1994, where he has been a senior lecturer in Nutrition and Bromatology since 2008. He has also taught subjects in the Bachelor’s Degree in Oenology, the Master’s Degree in Fermented Drinks, and the International Master’s Degree in Wine Tourism Innovation (WINTOUR) at the Faculty of Oenology.

Petra Günther

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At University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE), Petra Günther is Head of the International Office and Aurora Institutional Coordinator. As Aurora Institutional Coordinator, she has an overview of Aurora network activities and the Aurora EUN project at the university. Often this means finding a balance between the ambitions of Aurora and academic life at UDE. While this may be exhausting and frustrating at times, she considers it a privilege to work with many enthusiastic and motivated international colleagues.

Alessandro Arienzo

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Alessandro Arienzo is Professor of History of Political Thought and Political Philosophy at the Department of Humanities at the Università Federico II of Naples.  Member of the scientific board of the Doctorate in Philosophical Sciences of the Department of Humanities and representative for the area of political and social sciences in the Italian National University Council. He is among the Rector’s delegates for internationalisation. I am currently a member, and vice-chair, of the Higher Education Standing Committee of ETUCE (European Trade Union Committee on Education). Institutional coordinator for the Federico II of the European university network Aurora and the European Universities projects. 

Dejan Lukovic

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Dejan Lukovic serves as Institutional Coordinator for the Aurora 2030 programme at the Universität Innsbruck. In his capacity as a project manager, he is involved in the coordination and implementation of a range of initiatives, which also included the realisation of the Horizon 2020-funded project Aurora Research and Innovation for Societal Impact. Lukovic was a member of the Senate of Univeristät Innsbruck for several years and has an academic background in Media Studies as well as Comparative Literature. Photo credit © Alina Klinger

Fanney Karlsdóttir

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Fanney has a MA in International Studies from the University of Brisbane where she was a Rotary Peace Fellow. Prior to joining the University of Iceland, she held positions in the public and private sector linked to sustainability, such as Specialist at the Prime Minister’s Office, Project Manager at the Nordic Council of Ministers, and Sustainability Specialist at Marel.

Esmee Paques

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Esmee Paques is the Aurora institutional coordinator for the Aurora European university alliance at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. As the coordinating partner, she was part of the management work package for the first bid and has been working as a policy advisor within the international office since 2009. Started as an expert on international admissions, she now has a track record of many completed projects and dealt with numerous policy issues for VU Amsterdam. She was part of the Mastermind Europe project, a project that was set up to respond to the need for better matching of students to master programs, where she developed a toolkit to use personal traits and competencies for better admission decisions. In 2019 she was closely involved in shaping the recent VU Amsterdam strategic plan 2020-2025. She holds a Master’s degree in Culture, Organization and Management.

Professor Konstanze Zwintz

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Academic discipline: Stellar Astrophysics Konstanze Zwintz is professor for stellar astrophysics at the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics of Universität Innsbruck. Her research focuses on the topics of early stellar evolution and stellar oscillations and in the combination of both. She has expertise in working with data obtained from ground- and space-based telescopes, in the scientific development of international satellite missions, in chairing international consortia, in teaching and supervising students at all levels (from Bachelor to PhD) and in science communication. Since many years, Konstanze Zwintz is a mentor for students at all levels and for pupils interested in STEM fields. 

Professor Sigrid Neuhauser

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Academic discipline: Microbiology Dr. Sigrid Neuhauser is a scientist and deputy head of the Institute of Microbiology at the University of Innsbruck. Her current research focuses on understanding Phytomyxean plant parasites and their interactions with the environment, plants, marine algae and the role of phytomyxea and other protists involved in soil processes. Her current research is also including the abundance and prevalence of azole resistant fungi in the environement with a focus on human and plant pathogens, as well as more generally topics on fungal plant and algal pathogens and their disease mechanisms and control. She is also studying the interactions between the dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans and its microbiota and the fate of microbes in antropogenically influenced habitats. Since 2020, Sigrid Neuhauser holds a endowed professorship through the Ingeborg Hochmair Professorship program. She has received several fellowships and awards, including the FWF START Prize and is currently part of an EU Marie Curie Doctoral Network PHABB, the Jena Experiment and the MYCOS programme. Prof. Neuhauser has also worked at the Natural History Museum London and as a researcher outside of academia for MYKON OG.