Teona previously worked at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) and the European Parliament, where she contributed to policy work on EU enlargement, the Eastern Partnership and European security. She subsequently served as a Policy Analyst at the European Policy Centre, where she coordinated the EPC Task Force on EU Enlargement and worked on EU governance, enlargement, foreign policy and European party politics. Before moving to Brussels, Teona was actively engaged in civic and European affairs in Georgia, including serving as President of the European and Georgian Youth Parliaments. Teona holds a PhD in Political Science from KU Leuven, where her research examined European political parties and EU enlargement, and an MA in EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies from the College of Europe. She is President of the College of Europe Alumni Association, representing a global alumni community of more than 19,000 members. She is a recipient of the Order of Honour of Georgia, awarded by the President of Georgia in recognition of her contribution to democratic development and civic engagement. Her research and policy interests include the evolving European security order, EU enlargement, democratic resilience, European political parties and the EU’s role in its wider neighbourhood.