As part of the implementation of Task 5.7 within Work Package 5 of the ALF Horizon project, PhD candidates and early career researchers from the ALF BGL team, Ana Zdravković and Sava Vojnović, undertook a two-months research stay at the Surrey Centre for Law and Philosophy in Guildford, United Kingdom. ALF Work Package 5, coordinated by the University of Surrey, is dedicated to developing a comprehensive understanding of practical rationality and law, while Task 5.7 specifically facilitates the enhancement of individual expertise and skills through research visits and direct engagement with distinguished faculty members and guest lecturers at the University of Surrey.
The scholarships for a two-months research stay were provided by the Center for Legal Fundamentals (CLF) within the ALF project. Over the course of two months, Ana and Sava actively participated in formal academic activities, attended lectures, and engaged in meaningful consultations with professors from Surrey and other leading universities in the UK.
In addition to attending lectures, young academic researchers dedicated substantial time to advancing their doctoral research, benefiting from one-to-one meetings with established academics at the ALF partner institution – University of Surrey. Both researchers participated in a number of academic events, most notably the ALF Workshop held at the University of Surrey from 18 to 20 February 2025, where they each presented their ongoing research. Sava delivered a work-in-progress paper entitled “No Room for Value Claims”, while Ana contributed insights from her thesis on “Human Rights Restrictions in the ECHR”.
During the second week of their stay, Ana and Sava attended a thought-provoking lecture by Ẹniọlá Ànúolúwapọ́ Ṣóyẹmí (Oxford), who addressed the issues of law’s legitimacy and authority, critically engaging with Raz’s theory and highlighting the centrality of societal participation in establishing the plausibility of law.
In the second month, Ana and Sava attended an additional Surrey Workshop focused on general jurisprudence, featuring lectures by Giorgio Pino (“Sources of Law”), Sebastian Lewis (“Customary Law and the Limits of the Rule of Recognition”), and Felipe Jiménez (“Truly General Jurisprudence”) and continued their work on their research.
Throughout their two-months research stay, both Ana and Sava had used the opportunity for academic networking and PhD supervision. Ana had in-depth discussions with Professor Vassilis P. Tzevelekos (University of Liverpool) regarding her doctoral research, and met with Professor Natasa Mavronicola (University of Birmingham) and Professor Marko Milanovic (University of Reading) to refine the second chapter of her thesis. In the final week, she also met with Professor Nicola Lacey (LSE) to discuss issues of criminal justice and feminism.
Sava engaged in a series of consultations with Professor Kenneth Ehrenberg and Professor Christopher Taggart (both University of Surrey), focusing on the development of his thesis and incorporating feedback on his workshop presentation. He also had meetings with Professor Dennis Patterson, Ambrose Lee, and Professor Asgeirsson, deepening his exploration of topics such as free will and the structure of his thesis.
Their academic engagement and active participation was highly enriching, providing ALF scholarship recipients – Ana and Sava with valuable opportunities to collaborate with leading scholars and academics within ALF partner institution, to develop their research, and make steady progress on their doctoral dissertations.
