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In Their Own Words

Brendan Duprey (ENVS PhD, ’15)

April 3, 2018
In Their Own Words
Alumni Stories

Brendan is an environmental activist, policy expert and educator. Formerly program director of the Regional Environmental Center (REC), he is on sabbatical learning the Russian language and volunteering  for the Truth-Hounds human rights organization, in Kiev, where he seeks to analyze the environmental impacts of war in Eastern Ukraine.

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Jakub Leps (POLS '98)

March 12, 2018
In Their Own Words
Alumni Stories

Jakub Leps (POLS ’98) is a writer, educator and politician who currently serves as Third Deputy Mayor for Prague’s 11th District. In January 2018 he was elected Prague chairman for the TOP 09 political party.

What is your primary responsibility as Prague party chair? How long is the term?

It's a two-year term. The main responsibility is basically serving as the party manager. However this year most of my activity will focus on Prague election campaigns ahead of the local and Senate elections that are ahead of us in the fall.

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Peter Varga (IRES'05)

January 24, 2018
In Their Own Words
Alumni Stories

A native of Hungary, Peter serves as Regional Civil Society Coordinator for Europe at the Open Government Partnership in Berlin. His portfolio includes support for civil society organizations across Europe and open government reforms. A former Fulbright Visiting Practitioner at Stanford University and a Yale graduate, Peter is a passionate world traveler and gourmet.

What do you find most important about the work you do?

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Johan Lilliestam (ENVS ’14 Ph.D)

January 24, 2018
In Their Own Words
Alumni Stories

Johan works as an Assistant Professor of Renewable Energy Policy and the Head of the Renewable Energy Policy Group  at ETH Zürich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. 
He was recently awarded the European Research Council’s Starting Grant for his project "Transition to a renewable electricity system and its interactions with other policy aims (TRIPOD)."

What do you feel is the most interesting or impactful aspect of your job?

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Janos Fiala-Butora (LEGS ’04)

January 24, 2018
In Their Own Words
Alumni Stories

Janos is a human rights lawyer, academic and policy analyst. He currently serves as Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability’s Central Europe Program. He’s also done stints as visiting lecturer at CEU as well as a resarcher at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA). 

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your current position?

I think of myself as a human rights lawyer, arguing cases before courts. I’m trying to improve people’s lives in some way through human rights, which is a tool CEU gave me.

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