Katharina Hoffmann is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Russian and Easter European Studies at Birmingham University. In 2008, she received a Magister Degree from Freie Universtät Berlin in East European Studies with special training in political sciences and international relations, sociology and Romanian literature. Her master studies also included a one year stay at the Moscow State Institute for International Relations. During her PhD studies, Katharina widened her think tank experience by a six month stay at the Norwegian Institute for International Affairs/NUPI.