Central European - 2 years ago

Vlad Surdea-Hernea, the recipient of a 2023-24 Presidential Scholarship, is a PhD candidate in CEU’s Doctor al School of Political Science, Public Policy and International Relations. His dissertation focuses on the persistent effects of political violence in mobilizing dissent and shaping electoral behavior.  CEU spoke with the doctoral student, who is from Romania, to learn about his studies and path to CEU.    What does this award mean to you?     The first thing is that this award represented to me was a positive opportunity to think about myself as a researcher in the broader epistemic community. When my supervisor told me about this award, it felt like a chance not only for recognition, but also to reflect on what I m trying to do – what I have done so far and what my research is about, not only in terms of subject, but also in terms of building communities, establishing networks and connecting with like-minded individuals trying to disentangle similar problems in social sciences.   The second aspect was more pragmatic. I enjoyed meeting the other scholarship recipients. The six of us met on the first day of the new academic year. We span BA to PhD levels, and briefly exchanged opinions and discussed our work. It was interesting to see how this scholarship honors a range of activities from research to community engagement. It helped me think about what I should do next because I m currently in the second half of my PhD, my third year, so a good portion of my research has been finalized.   What does your research address?  My research mostly deals with the historical persistence of political violence. I’m looking at what happens to communities that are exposed to state sponsored repression, and whether the effects of this repression persist over decades or even centuries. I m trying to see how communities develop, how they are resilient and identify the counteractions they engage in.  I m not limited to a defined region but am rather pursuing case studies with interesting data. I ve been working on cases in Germany and France but would also like to include my home country of Romania. There are many events in recent Romanian history which had a big impact, however, they are relatively under-researched and not much discussed.   For example, the Romanian Revolution of 1989, which is one of the central points in the development of the Romanian society which could use further research regarding what happened during that time and the consequences of the revolution. I m trying to step in and shed some light on the repercussions of the violence that was conducted during that time. I have written two papers that will be part of my dissertation on this topic, one forthcoming in the European Journal of Political Research and one in the Political Studies Review.  What was your path to CEU?      After receiving my BA in Political Science from the University of Bucharest in Romania, I went to Berlin to the Hertie School of Governance for the master’s program in public policy. At the time, I thought I’d join a consulting firm, but then I realized I wanted to do more in terms of understanding how policy works. I wanted to be proactive and gain the necessary solid and robust foundations for what I was talking about.   CEU presented the perfect opportunity to get this in-depth high-quality education that not only allows me to think about tomorrow, but also think about how past years, past decades, past centuries influenced how we think about the present. The program allows me to translate this shared understanding of the present into how I want to frame and discuss tomorrow.   CEU also presented the opportunity to rigorously study Central Europe. I come from East Central Europe, so I cherish the opportunity for this regional focus. There are students from all over the world, and I don t have only professors from the region, but the university gave me the voice to speak about this area, which I really wanted to do. CEU gave me the platform to communicate about Eastern Europe in the context in which people are interested in the region. It’s a place for building bridges.   What drives you in your work?  I m a curious individual and when I first started my PhD, I studied topics related to how populism and parties from the right influence climate policy. I m still interested in that, but through my intellectual journey, I discovered that I m even more compelled by the idea of measuring long-term dynamics in communities.   My supervisor, Michael Dorsch, and my PhD panel highlighted that becoming a scholar means crafting your own niche and deciding who you want to be. It helped me realize that I could integrate all of this and be a scholar that studies the topic in terms of communities and how the experience of violence makes people vote for far-right parties and engage in climate policies in a certain way. It was an organic process, following something I thought was interesting and that could have contributions for the future.  What else is enriching your scholarship?  As a doctoral researcher, I ve been lucky to get involved with projects in CIVICA and through that alliance, I’ve met many students from other universities engaging with research. CEU taught me how important it is to become a team player, communicate well and build relationships.   I was part of a project that was led on CEU’s side by Dora Piroska, and we had an event at Sciences Po in Paris where we met with representatives from other CIVICA universities. I learned a lot from being involved in all stages of the research project, including writing, speaking, event planning, organizing and participating. The whole life cycle.   Research doesn t necessarily mean only writing some code and then translating the results into a nice paper. It also means building relationships to help you come up with ideas, get feedback and disseminate information. This is how I like to see myself.   What advice do you have for other students applying for this scholarship?     I think those applying need to consider strongly what it is about their research or activity that matters not only for people outside or people at CEU, but what matters personally for them. If you have a good answer to why it matters and is important, that s a good step.   Therefore, my biggest piece of advice is to be very straightforward with yourself and ask: Why do I like this? Why is it enjoyable? What about this makes me want to also do it tomorrow? Once you get clear about why you re doing something, it s so much easier to share with others.  The Presidential Scholars Fund was established by Michael Ignatieff and Zsuzsanna Zsohar. It supports four Presidential Graduate Research Awards for exceptional master’s and Doctoral students whose research shows promise for the next generation. The Fund also awards two scholarships per year to incoming bachelor s students demonstrating exceptional academic credentials and leadership promise.     Unit: Department of Public PolicyDoctoral School of Political Science, Public Policy, and International RelationsResearch Area: Public PolicyCategory: NewsGivingImage: Content Priority: High

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