PhD Student
maelle.desbre@ulb.be
Institut d'Etudes européennes
Campus du Solbosch - CP 172
Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50
1050 Bruxelles
Bio
Maëlle Desbre is a PhD candidate in political science at the Université libre de Bruxelles and the Université catholique de Louvain, under the co-supervision of Ramona Coman (ULB) and Tanguy Struye de Swielande (UCLouvain). Her dissertation examines the role of illiberal think tanks in the emergence of a transnational illiberal network.
Her interdisciplinary background, which includes a master’s degree in translation (Russian–Spanish) and a specialised interdisciplinary master’s in European studies, has enabled her to develop a particular sensitivity to the cultural dynamics that shape the production and circulation of political narratives.
Her research aims to understand how illiberal think tanks influence public debates and contribute to the dissemination and legitimisation of discourses opposed to liberal democracy. She analyses how these actors mobilise the cultural capital of intellectuals to legitimise illiberal ideas within the European Union, as well as how they establish transnational links with illiberal actors in Russia and the United States, contributing to the emergence of a transnational illiberal field: a network of illiberal actors.
CV
- Since October 2025: PhD candidate, FRESH (FNRS-F.R.S.) in Political Science, Université libre de Bruxelles (CEVIPOL) and Université catholique de Louvain (ISPOLE)
- 2024–2025: Advanced Master’s in EU Interdisciplinary Studies (ULB-IEE)
- 2023–2024: Administrative Assistant, ESAE (European Society of Association Executives)
- 2019–2021: Master’s in Translation in Intercultural Contexts (Russian–Spanish), University of Mons – Research thesis in International Relations
Areas of research
- Circulation of illiberal ideas
- Think tanks
- Political and ideological narratives
- Transnational illiberal networks (EU, Russia, United States)