Mladen’s research concerns Chinese infrastructural investments in the Balkan region, focussing on how these massive infrastructural investments affect impact both democratisation processes and EU integration. He holds a BA in Political Sciences, International Relations and European Studies (University of Bari), a Master Degree in International Relations Management (Catholic University of the Sacred Heart – ASERI Graduate School of Economics and International Relations in Milan) and a Master Degree in International Relations at the University of Bologna, for which he was awarded an Italian Government Scholarship. Mladen is a former Fulbright Researcher at the East Asian Institute, University of California, Berkeley, and a former fellow of the Chinese Government at Xiamen University, who has internships at a number of international organisations. Alongside his studies, he is currently working as a consultant in the private sector.