Career Integration Fellowships

Apply for a Career Integration Fellowship

CERGE-EI Career Integration Fellowships (CIFs) are available for Western-educated economists returning to Central and Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union to take full-time academic posts. 

We are currently accepting applications for fellowships beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year. The deadline is 14 April 2023. Please download the application packet for full details.

Email queries should be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Throughout the post-communist world, societies desperately need better understanding of fundamental economic principles. CERGE-EI Teaching Fellows’ Career Integration Fellowships enable talented young people with Western PhDs to return to their home countries and assume full-time university positions. Back in their home country, these passionate teachers play a key role in creating support for both free minds and free markets. 

Career Integration Fellowships provide crucial salary supplements, modern pedagogical training, access to electronic literature and data, and a support network of like-minded scholars. The fellowship also provides the opportunity to organize research stays at CERGE-EI.

The fellowship carries an award of $8000 per year and is guaranteed to be provided for 3 years. If the program receives sufficient funding in the future, fellowships may be renewed. The fellowship is provided over and above the salary paid by the university where the fellow will teach.

Countries where Career Integration Fellows are currently teaching:

2020 CIF Coverage

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan

Current CERGE-EI Career Integration Fellows

2020 Awardees

Zohid Askarov (PhD, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia, 2014)
Westminster University, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Birzhan Batkeyev (PhD, Northeastern University, USA, 2017)
International School of Economics, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Ivan Bozhikin (PhD, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, 2016)
University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria

Lubomír Cingl (PhD, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, 2016)
Prague Economics University (VŠE), Prague, Czech Republic

Bruno Ćorić (PhD, Staffordshire University, United Kingdom, 2008)
University of Split, Split, Croatia

Michal Ďuriník (PhD, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, 2020)
Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

Huseyn Ismayilov (PhD, Tilburg University, The Netherlands, 2015)
ADA University, Baku, Azerbaijan

Ermira Kalaj (PhD, University of Trento, Italy, 2013)
University of Shkodër, Shkodër, Albania

Lejla Lazovic-Pita (PhD, Otto-Friedrich Universitat Bamberg, Germany, 2015)
School of Economics and Business, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Tomáš Lichard (PhD, CERGE-EI, Prague, 2016)
Prague Economics University (VŠE), Prague, Czech Republic

Leonita Mazrekaj (PhD, University of Graz, Austria, Expected 2021)
University of Peja Haxhi Zeka, Pejë, Kosovo

Tomáš Miklánek (PhD, CERGE-EI, Prague, 2017)
Prague Economics University (VŠE), Prague, Czech Republic

Arben Mustafa (PhD, Staffordshire University, United Kingdom, 2014)
University "Kadri Zeka", Gjilan, Kosovo

Edvard Orlić (PhD, Staffordshire University, United Kingdom, 2016)
Sarajevo School of Science and Technology, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Sanja Peković (PhD, University Paris-EST, 2010)
University of Montenegro, Kotor, Montenegro

Fisnik Reçica (PhD, Staffordshire University, United Kingdom, 2016)
Riinvest College, Prishtina, Kosovo

Vladimir Šimić (PhD, Staffordshire University, United Kingdom, 2008)
University of Split, Split, Croatia

Ágnes Szabó-Morvai (PhD, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary, 2015)
University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary

2019 Awardees

Lumir Abdixhiku (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2013)
Riinvest College, Prishtina, Kosovo

Zurab Abramishvili (PhD CERGE-EI, Czech Republic, 2017)
International School of Economics-Tbilisi State University (ISET), Tbilisi, Georgia

Gurgen Aslanyan (PhD CERGE-EI, Czech Republic, 2014)
American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

Selena Begović (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2015)
University of Sarajevo, School of Economics and Business, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Márta Bisztray (PhD Central European University, Hungary, 2016)
Corvinus University, Budapest, Hungary

Tetyana Dubovyk (PhD University of Minnesota, USA, 2010)
Oles Honchar Dnipro National University, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine

Ardiana Gashi (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2007)
University of Prishtina, Kosovo

Aida Gjika (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2018)
University of Tirana, Albania

Silvia Golem (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2011)
University of Split, Croatia

Aleksandr Grigoryan (PhD University of Turin, Italy, 2009)
American University of Armenia, Yerevan, Armenia

Tomoyuki Hashimoto (PhD Linacre College, Oxford University, UK, 2016)
ISM University of Management and Economics, Vilnius, Lithuania & Vistula University, Warsaw, Poland

Madina Junussova (PhD Carleton University, Canada, 2018)
University of Central Asia, Tekeli, Kazakhstan

Valbona Karapici (PhD University of Bamberg, Germany, 2017)
University of Tirana, Albania

Alma Kudebayeva (PhD University of Manchester, UK, 2015
KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Matej Lorko (PhD Macquarie Graduate School of Management, Australia, 2019)
University of Economics in Bratislava / Technical University of Košice, Slovak Republic

Lev Lvovskii (PhD University of Iowa, USA, 2017)
Belarusian Economic Research and Outreach Center (BEROC), Minsk, Belarus

Arta Mulliqi (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2016)
Dukagjini/UBT College, Kosovo

Oksana Nezhyvenko (PhD University Paris-Est Creteil, France, 2018)
National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kyiv, Ukraine

George Papava (PhD University of Chicago, USA, Expected 2020) *
Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia

Emelj Tuna (PhD Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden, 2015)
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje/Institute of Agricultural Economics, North Macedonia

Ricardo Vicente (PhD European University Institute, Italy, 2016)
University of Tartu, Estonia

2018 Awardees

Rustu Duran (PhD University of Oxford, UK, 2017)
Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU) / International School of Economics and Social Sciences (ISE), Almaty, Kazakhstan

Arsena Gjipali (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2008)
University of Tirana, Albania

Teimuraz Gogsadze (PhD University of Leicester, UK, 2017)
International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET), Tbilisi, Georgia

Maxim Goryunov (PhD CERGE-EI, Prague, Czech Republic, 2016)
Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan

Ali Gunes (PhD University of Rochester, USA, 2014)
ADA University, Baku, Azerbaijan

Klára Kalíšková (PhD CERGE-EI, Prague, 2015)
Prague Economics University (VŠE), Czech Republic

Lena Malešević Perović (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2007)
University of Split, Croatia

Nevila Mehmetaj (PhD Swiss Management Center, Switzerland, 2014)
University "Luigj Gurakuqi", Shkoder, Albania

Maja Mihaljević Kosor (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2009)
University of Split, Croatia

Esmeralda Shehaj (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2013)
University of Tirana, Albania

Robert Somogyi (PhD École Polytechnique - Univeristé Paris-Saclay, France, 2016)
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary

Stjepan Srhoj (PhD University of Innsbruck, Austria, 2019)
University of Dubrovnik, Croatia

Katalin Szemerédi (PhD University College London, UK, 2015)
Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary

Gëzim Tosuni (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2014)
Kadri Zeka University, Gjilan, Kosovo

Azamat Valei (PhD CERGE-EI, Prague, Czech Republic, 2017)
Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Visar Vokrri (PhD Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy, 2019)
Riinvest College, Prishtina, Kosovo

Dmitriy Vorobyev (PhD CERGE-EI, Prague, Czech Republic, 2013)
Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Orjon Xhoxhi (PhD University of Copenhagen, Denmark, 2017)
Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania

Muharrem Yeşilırmak (PhD, University of Iowa, 2013)
ADA University, Baku, Azerbaijan

Merita Zulfiu Alili (PhD Staffordshire University, UK, 2014)
South East European University, Tetovo, North Macedonia


* Denotes Fellows Sponsored by Global Philanthropic Trust

For more information please write to the teaching fellows administration team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.