Pavle Nedić, MA, joined Institute of International Politics and Economics in March 2021. The areas of his academic interest are international relations theories, international security and great power relations. He is a PhD student of International and European Studies at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade. 



At the same faculty, Pavle finished his undergraduate studies in international relations and master studies in international security. The subject of his master thesis is Balancing of the American power after the Ukrainian crisis: case study relationship between Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China.



Pavle has authored several articles published in scientific journals and has participated in numerous science conferences, gatherings and seminars.

Dr. Nenad Stekić has been working at the Institute of International Politics and Economics since July 2018, and as of January 2020 within the Regional Centre “Belt and Road”. His academic interests include the People’s Republic of China’s security strategy, regional security dynamics of Southeast Asia, and the effects of interstate armed conflicts on contemporary defence arrangements and political regimes. He obtained the PhD title from the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Security Studies, where he defended his dissertation “Military Interventions and Post-Conflict State Building in the Unipolar Era: The Cases of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Iraq”. 



He worked as a teaching aide in the courses of International Relations and Political System throughout his MA studies at the University of Belgrade’s Faculty of Security Studies. As of 2021 he serves as an external consultant for the Varieties of Democracy Institute (University of Gothenburg), where he evaluates the quality of political regimes for the V-Dem Data project. He authored the monograph “A Hesitant Hegemon: Layers of China’s Contemporary Security Policy”, published by the IIPE. In addition, Nenad is the co-editor of several thematic proceedings and has authored over thirty scientific articles and book reviews in academic journals.



He has presented the results of his research within several national and international academic conferences, in addition to numerous seminars and study trainings which he attended. As of January 2023, he got appointed as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal “The Review of International Affairs”. He is fluent in English and is actively learning Chinese language.

Dr. Aleksandar Mitić is Research Fellow at the Center for the “Belt and Road” studies. He obtained his Bachelor in Journalism and Political Science from Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada), and his MA in International Affairs in 1997 from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.


He defended his PhD thesis “Integration of Online Media Techniques in Strategic Communication Projects” at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Belgrade in 2016. From 1999-2005, Aleksandar was permanent correspondent of Agence France-Presse (AFP) from Kosovo and Metohija (during the NATO bombings) and from Belgrade. From 2005-2009, he was permanent correspondent of the Tanjug News Agency from the EU and NATO headquarters in Brussels.


He published numerous works, among others published by the Institute for International Politics and Economics, the Institute for Political Studies, the China-CEE Institute and Routledge. He published articles, and as analyst provided commentary, to numerous Serbian and international media – among others „Politika“, „New York Times”, “European Voice” and “China Daily”. His particular field of interest in recent years has been the use of strategic communication in international relations, as well as the narratives of integration projects. He speaks French and English.

Dr Katarina Zakić joined the Institute of International Politics and Economics in September 2018, and she is the Head of the Regional Centre Belt and Road starting from August 2021. The major fields of her research are the economic development of China, the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as intercultural management and business practice in China. Dr Zakić obtained the title of Associate Professor at the Faculty of Business Studies in October 2017, where she was teaching several subjects: Management, Organisational Behaviour, Strategic Management, and Intercultural Management, at all levels of studies.



She was the director of the Chinese Centre (2013–2018) and the Vice-Rector for International Cooperation (2017–2018). Katarina defended her PhD thesis The Distinctiveness of Management in Asia-Pacific Region: Interaction of West and East Experience (Case Study: Hong Kong) within the Faculty of Business Studies (2011). She received her master’s degree in 2007 at the Faculty of Geo-economics and graduated at the Faculty of Economics, University of Belgrade (2001).



Katarina is Editor-in-Chief of IIPE`s journal The Review of International Affairs, where she previously was Deputy Editor-in-Chief (2019–2020). She is the author of the monograph Contemporary Management Practice in China and Serbia and co-author with Dr Nataša Stanojević of the monograph Economic Rise of China – strategy and dynamics of international relations. Dr Zakić has published over 40 articles in domestic and foreign scientific journals and thematic proceedings. Annual conferences called Dialogues on China are organized within the centre she manages. Dr Zakić is fluent in English.

Prof. Dr. Sanja Filipović is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences and a full professor at Singidunum University. In the period 2002–2020. In 2010, she worked at the Economic Institute as a project manager and senior research associate at the Center for Macroeconomic Research. She has been a university professor since 2008 and teaches undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies. She has significant experience in project management and work.



Working on more than 80 projects, she participated in all phases of the project process including: definition and development of project ideas, budget planning, application of various research methodologies, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. She worked on several national strategic documents, public policies and studies. In addition, she collaborated with international institutions and worked in teams of international experts. She has published more than 100 bibliographic items, including seven books and over thirty papers in leading international scientific journals listed in WoS.



She is a member of the “EU Energy Poverty Observatory group” and the coordinator of the working group of the National Convention on the European Union, which monitors negotiation chapter 20 (Industrial policy and entrepreneurship) in the process of negotiations with the EU.

Prof. Dr. Branislav Đorđević was appointed Director of Institute of International Politics and Economics in January 2015. The main field of his research interest is international security. He defended his doctoral thesis Modern Serbia′s Military Thought as the Outcome of Contemporary War Skills at the Military Academy in Belgrade (1999), where he had also obtained his MA (1991) and BA (1981). Up to 2007 Professor Đorđević was a professional military officer and he ended his military career as colonel.


He was director of the Institute of Strategic Studies at the Serbian Ministry of Defence, a member of the cabinet of the Chief of the General Staff, and also served as a troop officer in the Yugoslav National Army. He completed the School of National Defence (General Staff level) in 2000. He was Editor-in-Chief of IIPEʼs journal International Problems (2015–2018), the oldest academic journal in the Balkans dedicated to IR. He authored and co-authored fourteen monographs and dozens of research articles in academic journals and collections of papers. Professor Branislav Đorđević has participated in several domestic and international scientific conferences, round tables, and panel discussions. He has managed a few research projects.



For his contribution to military science, he received the Republic of Serbia’s “Dragojlo Dudić” award for 1998 and the “Vojvoda Živojin Mišić” gold medallion for 2001. Since January 2022, he is a member of the Scientific Field Committee for Law, Economics and Political Science of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation.

Dr. Ivona Lađevac is Research Project Manager of the ongoing IIPE project “Serbia and Challenges in International Relations in 2024”, financially supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.



Dr Lađevac joined Institute of International Politics and Economics in 2001, since 2008 she is in charged for international cooperation, while from September 2017 until July 2021 she was a Head of the Center “One Belt, One Road. She is Editor-in-Chief of the journal “International Problems”. She graduated and earned her MSc Degree at the Faculty of Political Sciences Belgrade University (department for International Relations), while her Ph.D. got at the Faculty of Security Studies with thesis on “Strategic Partnership  of Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China within global security context”. 



Her main research areas are contemporary international relations, focused to relations between China and Russia, the Belt and the Road Initiative as well to cooperation between China and CEEC’s. Since July 2022, Ivona is a member of the Governing Board of the International Center for Research and Training in Science and Technology (CISTRAT) of Chinese Academy for Science and Technology for Development. Fluent in English, possess good knowledge of French and studying Chinese language.