EUKN Team

Martin Grisel

Director

Interest in local politics and wider societal challenges led Martin to switch careers and focus on urban development policy, founding the EUKN in 2005. He speaks native Dutch, fluent English, French and German, and advanced Spanish. 

Convinced that cities are one of mankind’s most fascinating creations, Martin is driven to create more sustainable urban futures through co-designing strategy with policy-makers and researchers. He enjoys working as a trusted strategic advisor to policy-makers from local to global level, and is proud to work with a team of highly dedicated colleagues. 

Currently working on:  

Martin provides strategic, financial and operational leadership, and oversees external relations and acquisition for the EUKN. A familiar face from moderating events organised by the EUKN and third parties, Martin also leads a strand of the EUKN’s work within the CONEXUS project.  

Lea Scheurer

Senior Policy and Project Officer

Lea holds a BA in Social Sciences from Düsseldorf University, an MA in Politics and Public Administration from the University of Konstanz, and an MSc in European Governance from Utrecht University. She joined the EUKN in 2016, and speaks German, English and Dutch. 

An avid writer, Lea is in her element crafting research-rich, engaging texts on the ever-evolving sphere of urban policy. She holds the European element of the EUKN’s work close to her heart: exchanging across borders and cultures, and finding commonalities in the urban community. From theory to street-level, she is fascinated by urbanity’s multifaceted impact on society. 

Currently working on:  

Lea prepares EUKN Policy Labs and supports EU Council Presidencies. 

Federica Risi

Senior Policy and Project Officer

Federica holds an MSc in Environment and Sustainable Development from University College London and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from LUISS Guido Carli. At the EUKN since 2019, she speaks native Italian, fluent English and Spanish, and intermediate Portuguese.

A natural connector and active practitioner, Federica sees her urban development expertise as a key entry point to unpacking and healing cities’ relationship with the natural world. Consistently evolving her approach, she’s found synergy with the EUKN’s culture of policy co-creation to craft sustainable urban transformations.

Currently working on:

Federica leads the EUKN’s work within the CONEXUS project, restoring urban ecosystems with nature-based solutions. As the team’s go-to for green transition topics, she strengthens the EUKN’s ties with fellow actors in the field, alongside developing EUKN Policy Labs.

Hannah Kleine

Junior Policy Officer

Driven by the aim to make cities more inclusive, safe and sustainable, Hannah is most passionate about multi-level governance, urban planning and inclusive mobility. She recently completed her BSc in Governance, Economics and Development at Leiden University College The Hague, writing her thesis on the accessibility of public transport for urban refugees in Düsseldorf, Germany.

She believes that urban policy should be evidence-based and data-driven, and aspires to emphasize the specific needs of women, refugees, and other disadvantaged groups in urban policy and planning.

Inspired by understanding urban challenges in different geographical contexts, Hannah has lived and worked in Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Japan. She speaks native German and Slovak, fluent English and advanced French.

At the EUKN, Hannah supports Policy Labs and EU Council Presidencies.

Elliot Underhill

Policy Research and Communications Intern

Elliot is a public policy researcher with a passion for urbanism and a research background in the policymaking practices of the European Union. He enjoys studying the creation and expansion of urban transport networks and is interested in assessing policy and regulatory pathways for continuously increasing the supply of sustainably-built housing in dense urban areas.

He holds a MSc in Public Administration, Economics, and Governance as well as a BSc in International Relations and Organisations, both from Leiden University. He has previous research experience in the European Union’s fiscal framework, its Common Foreign and Security Policy, and in the fields of non-proliferation and chemical security policy.

At the EUKN, he supports the team by assisting with policy research and communications work. Raised in both the United States and the European Union, he speaks English and German and has professional working proficiency in Dutch.

Laura Ballestin

Policy Research and Communications Intern

Laura is a policy researcher with a strong interest in nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation in cities, as well as urban resilience and governance. With an LLM in International Environmental Law, an MSc in Sustainable Planning, and a BA in Law, she has worked within EU institutions as an intern, seeing firsthand how regulatory frameworks accelerate the energy transition and the role of funding in driving change. She has also explored how AI, analytics, and digital modeling improve cities and policy decisions. Additionally, she has worked with NGOs in Indonesia on climate change’s impact on women and local energy transitions.

At the EUKN, Laura contributes to policy analysis and communication. Having lived in various European cities, she values integrating local knowledge to shape better urban policies and long-term sustainable solutions.