About
Our team works with researchers in the University on applied research, implementation and education projects. Our international activities focus primarily on green transition and interpersonal violence, with projects from funders including Horizon Europe, LIFE, Horizon 2020, EU Justice, Erasmus+ and Interreg.
As part of green transition projects, we work on improving strategic energy and climate planning on local level, increasing capacity of key actors, improving multilevel governance, and mobilising people on addressing energy efficiency, energy poverty and energy communities. In addition, our projects focus on facilitating the stakeholder action for biodiversity (connectivity, maintenance, restoration, goods and services, and social interactions).
Second, we work on projects that address interpersonal violence in domestic and public settings. This includes the identification and promotion of best practices for establishing multi-agency cooperation between police, victim support services, health care, social services and other relevant stakeholder groups.
Within our applied projects, our team undertakes multiple roles, including project management, professional (online) training, impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, social change facilitation, and dissemination.
CASS also conducts domestic social science research in range of other policy domains, including health, social, workforce, economic and regional development. To learn more about our domestic research projects, please visit our Estonian page.
Hector Charles Pagan
Grant Office
Project Writing
Head of Project Writing Team 0.5 p
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Programme Manager-Analyst 0.5 p
Lossi 36-404
+372 737 6582
Hector is the head of the CASS international projects’ team. He has over 10 years of experience in developing and managing international EU-funded projects from Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, LIFE, Interreg, EU Justice, Erasmus and other programmes. He also has over twenty years of experience working with civil society /third sector organizations in the United States and Estonia from various fields including energy management, environmental science and social services.
Hector Charles Pagan
Grant Office
Project Writing
Head of Project Writing Team 0.5 p
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Programme Manager-Analyst 0.5 p
Lossi 36-404
+372 737 6582
Elis Vollmer
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager
Lossi 36-419
Elis is a project manager at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu, and works as an acting head of the Centre of Renewable Energy, Estonian University of Life Sciences. Has MSc in Environmental Protection, and is the president of the international Central and Eastern European Sustainable Energy Network (CEESEN).
Elis Vollmer
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager
Lossi 36-419
Hanna Laius
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager
Lossi 36-419
Hanna is a project manager who is responsible for multiple international projects in sustainabillity, green communication and interpersonal violence. She has a MSc degree in Human Geography and Regional Planning and has several years of experience in project work.
Hanna Laius
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager
Lossi 36-419
Mari Puniste
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager 0.5 p
Lossi 36-418
Mari has an MA degree in social sciences and Project Manager experience form Women's Support and Information Centre where she has been responsible for the coordination of funded projects and grants as well as providing assistance for project implementation in the field of domestic/intimate partner violence.
Mari Puniste
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager 0.5 p
Lossi 36-418
Lenard Benjamin Milich
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.6 p
Lossi 36-404
Lenard is a Project Coordinator with CASS. He earned a PhD in Arid Lands Resource Sciences at the University of Arizona, and has worked in international development for 25 years, primarily for the UN in several Asian and African countries. He has taught meteorology and climatology at college level, and brings to CASS knowledge of topics as diverse as climate change, fisheries, and transboundary management of shared natural resources.
Lenard Benjamin Milich
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.6 p
Lossi 36-404
Maie Kiisel
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.64 p
+372 516 9933 (3399)
Maie is focused on research. She has a PhD in media and communication, employs methods of sociology, media and communication, ethnography, design thinking, system analysis and social change governance. Focus areas: participation and conflict management in conservation planning, stakeholder action facilitation and community work in forestry, agriculture and urban settlements for the enhancement of biodiversity.
Maie Kiisel
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.64 p
+372 516 9933 (3399)
Martin Hayford
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager-Analyst
Martin Hayford
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager-Analyst
Sabina Trankmann
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager-Analyst
Sabina Trankmann
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager-Analyst
Gerly Tamm
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager-Analyst 0.2 p
+372 737 6378
Gerly Tamm
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Manager-Analyst 0.2 p
+372 737 6378
Anastasiia Turusinova
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Digital Marketing Specialist
Lossi 36-419
+372 737 6579
Anastasiia is an e-learning specialist at the University of Tartu specialising on MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). She has designed more than 10 online courses for different European projects. One of her courses was nominated for the best course of the year by Estonian Quality Agency for Education (HAKA). After that she has been involved in evaluating online courses participating in this competition.
Anastasiia Turusinova
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Digital Marketing Specialist
Lossi 36-419
+372 737 6579
Maria Kristiina Prass
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Communication Specialist 0.35 p
Lossi 36-419
Maria takes care of the dissemination and channel management, and produces Estonian-language content. She has BA from the University of Tartu in International Relations, an MA in Communication Management, and many years of marketing-communication-project management experience from both the private and public sector.
Maria Kristiina Prass
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Communication Specialist 0.35 p
Lossi 36-419
Riin Teugijas
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Finance Manager
Lossi 36-419
Riin has an MA in Economics. She specializes in finance management for various projects related to green topics and domestic violence. Riin works with different funding programs, including Horizon Europe, LIFE, Interreg, CERV, and Erasmus+.
Riin Teugijas
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Finance Manager
Lossi 36-419
Saara Sasi
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Assistant
Lossi 36-418
Saara is an assistant to the CASS project managers. She helps the project managers with anything and everything they need for a smooth workflow, general paperwork, event organisation, etc. She also aids other team members with running tasks whenever necessary. Saara has three years of experience organising international scientific conferences as a manager of delegate services. She is currently getting her BA in communications and psychology.
Saara Sasi
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Assistant
Lossi 36-418
Mariia Chebotareva
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.5 p
Lossi 36-404
School of Economics and Business Administration
Chair of Finance and Accounting
Lecturer in Accounting and Finance 0.5 p
Narva mnt 18-4025
Mariia holds PhD in Economics from the University of Tartu. Her main fields of research include public administration and finance, inter-municipal cooperation and regional development. Mariia is currently working as an analyst in CASS. She conducts research applying a diversity of methods such as mathematical modelling and qualitative analysis.
Mariia Chebotareva
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.5 p
Lossi 36-404
School of Economics and Business Administration
Chair of Finance and Accounting
Lecturer in Accounting and Finance 0.5 p
Narva mnt 18-4025
Ali Haririan
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Graphic Designer
Lossi 36-419
Ali is a designer with MS in HCI. He's been working as product designer and design lead in many international companies for more than 10 years. The passion for design makes him able to work in different areas of design, from UX to visual design and illustration.
Ali Haririan
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Graphic Designer
Lossi 36-419
Dan Prits
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Specialist
Lossi 36-419
Dan is a project specialist at CEESEU-DIGIT project, where he is doing designing and implementing communication strategies for community involvement of vulnerable groups in the topic of green transition. Dan has worked the last 10 years with refugees, migrants and other vulnerable groups as project leader in community engagement and integration initiatives.
Dan Prits
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Project Specialist
Lossi 36-419
Eveli Neemre
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.5 p
Eveli Neemre is an analyst at the Johann Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu. She is currently getting her PhD in Philosophy of Science.
Eveli Neemre
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
The Centre for Applied Social Sciences (CASS)
Analyst 0.5 p