RELINK2 - COST ACTION CA23114

Michał Jacuński is an Associate Professor at the University of Wrocław’s Institute of Political Science and Head of the Department of Social Communication and Journalism. He earned his PhD in 2006 and habilitation in 2016 at the University of Wrocław, and his research focuses on political communication, especially political actors’ use of media, and the implications of digitalization on parties’ organization. He is a co-founder of the Central European Journal of Communication and the Digital Parties and Politics Research Network. As Chair of RELINK², he coordinates an international team to explore how digital tools can rebuild the link between citizens and political organizations.

Jasmin Fitzpatrick is Akademische Oberrätin (Senior Researcher and Lecturer) in German Politics and Political Sociology at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. She completed her PhD in 2017 and since then has held research and teaching positions at JGU Mainz, with visiting lectureships at Würzburg and international summer schools. Her work examines political parties, civil society organisations, political communication, and voting behaviour, and she has published on digital civil society and intra-party dynamics. As Vice-Chair, she brings methodological rigor and a comparative perspective to the Action’s governance.

Giulia Sandri is Research and Development Manager at ECAS (https://ecas.org/), and Associate Researcher in the Department of Philosophy and Political Science at the Université libre de Bruxelles. Formerly Associate Professor at the Catholic University of Lille (2012–2024), she directed ESPOL-LAB and co-directed the Master in Digital Politics and Governance. Her research spans AI policy, digital democracy, comparative politics and political behaviour. She co-founded the Digital Parties and Politics Research Network, she is Co-Convenor of the PSA’s Technology, Internet, and Policy Specialist Group(TIP), and serves as Science Communicator Coordinator (together with Michal Maly, Deputy Science Communicator Coordinator) and MC member.

Michal Malý is PhD Candidate and Researcher at Charles University in Prague.His research interests focus on Digital Parties, Digitalization of Political Parties, Pirate Parties, and Participatory Platforms.

Petia Gueorguieva is Senior Assistant Professor of Political Science at New Bulgarian University. She holds her Ph.D. in Political Sciences from Université libre de Bruxelles. Her work covers the organisation and mobilisation strategies of new political parties in Central and Eastern Europe; digital transition and political actors; direct and participatory democracy; processes of Europeanisation. She has contributed to over 60 articles in multiple languages and coordinates international summer schools under OFAJ/FAJ. She leads the Grant Awarding Committee for RELINK², managing Short-Term Scientific Missions and ensuring equitable grant distribution.

Marco Lisi is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Studies at NOVA University Lisbon and researcher at IPRI-NOVA. He earned his PhD from the University of Florence (2007) and studies political parties, political behaviour, comparative politics, and communication. His recent projects include analyses of party membership types and populist responses to economic crises in Southern Europe. In RELINK², he leads WG1, framing the theoretical challenges of digitalising political engagement.

Inga Gaižauskaitė is Researcher at V. Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania. She studied sociology and received her doctoral degree in social sciences for the thesis on “Advancing Trust Research: Linking Conceptual Definitions, Standard Measures and the Perceptions of Social Actors” at the joint doctoral program of Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Vytautas Magnus University and Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania. She also continues to work at the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences. She previously worked as Research associate at Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. She was also teaching sociology and social research methodology subjects at Vilnius University and Mykolas Romeris University in Lithuania. Her research focus is on democracy, trust and political participation. She also works on topics of academic integrity, research ethics and advancements in social research methodology.

Fabio Lupato is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the Department of Political Science and Administration, University Complutense Madrid

Óscar Barberà Aresté is Associate Professor at the University of Valencia’s Faculty of Law and a specialist in party politics, decentralisation, and digitalisation. His recent work on digital policies, intra-party democracy and party platforms has appeared in Frontiers in Political Science, Party politics, and Information, Communication and Society. He chairs the DIGIPOL Digitalisation and Politics Group at the University of Valencia. As WG4 Leader, he orchestrates stakeholder engagement and dissemination, ensuring that RELINK² findings inform both academic and non-academic audiences across Europe.