Laura Vansina, the first EUTOPIA PhD student from the Department of Politics and International Studies (PAIS), successfully defended her thesis titled "Putin’ the Past to Work: Historical Narratives in Russia’s Policy Making (2000-2022)." Dr. Vansina was jointly supervised by Prof. Alexander Mattelaer (VUB) and Prof. Maria Koinova (Warwick). Her thesis examines the Kremlin’s use of historical narratives to justify both its domestic and international policies, focusing on key themes such as ontological security, regime legitimation, and the promotion of a hierarchical international order. The examination panel, consisting of Prof. Alexandra Homolar (Warwick), Prof. Juliet Johnson (McGill), Dr. Jonathan Holslag (VUB), Dr. Jade McGlynn (King’s College), and Dr. Caterina Carta (VUB), praised Dr. Vansina for her original conceptual framework, rigorous methodology, extensive dataset, and the valuable empirical insights her research provided. Following her Ph.D., Dr. Vansina has moved into the policy field, currently serving as a counsellor at the Belgian Permanent Representation to NATO, where she works on NATO's Eastern Flank policies, including Russia. She also continues her academic work as an associate researcher at the Brussels School of Governance, VUB.