Our people
The IUI team is a diverse network of dedicated professionals, our strength lies in our ability to collaborate across disciplines, share insights, and apply holistic solutions
to global challenges.
Founders
Irina Irbitskaya
is an architect and urban thinker.
She moved to Paris in 2022 and, together with her Parisian partners, founded the association “International UKLAD Institute in Paris” (2024). Formerly co-founder of the architectural bureau Platforma (2004-2022) and founder of the National Center of Urban Competence at the Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (2013-2021), Irina Irbitskaya graduated from the Moscow Architectural Institute.
In 2002 she exhibited her first conceptual architectural project – a study in Russian Constructivism as Russia’s only important contribution to the world architectural culture in the 20th century, leading to a broad discussion on ‘the national vs. the international’ in architecture. Her first urban publication was the manifesto concept “city of urban blocks" that became the architect’s critical response to Soviet mass urban development (2005). Since 2017, Irbitskaya has been an independent international consultant for international development organizations such as the UNDP and the World Bank.
Since 2004, Irbitskaya has specialized in concepts, methods and ideas for a wide range of clients, including investors, architectural and urban planning bureaus, international development organizations and relevant structures of state and city governance.
Over the years of practice, Irbitskaya has developed dozens of concept designs, from architecture and urban design to national and regional strategies and policies. Her published concepts and proposals include Culture-driven architecture (2002), Uklad Model and Uklad method (2007), Meta-architecture (for the Skolkovo Innovation Center, 2011), 5 types of TOD models for 192 stations of Moscow region (2015), IoC model of digitalization for sustainable human-centered urban development, (2016), Arid Uklad, Arid Architecture, Arid Urbanism (2022).
Irbitskaya was a radio expert on urban development and architecture; she lectured for students, practicing specialists and professionals, and senior government bodies in Russian and East European higher schools and universities. In 2024, Irbitskaya launched the online lecture series "Paroles d’Albatros" and has launched the International Working Group in Paris on UKLADS (GDT UKLADS) in order to transfer knowledge and ideas to colleagues.
Alexandre Vichnevski
With a career dedicated to cultural engineering and development of educational and artistic projects, Alexandre brings a broad and dynamic vision to the IUI .
His experience includes the creation and management of cultural institutions, notably as founder and operator of the L gallery and Albatros cultural center in Paris and Montreuil.
These spaces serve as platforms for artistic residencies, exhibitions, and festivals. Through these initiatives, he not only promotes cultural diversity but also creates opportunities for creative exchange and strengthening of social cohesion through art and education.
Furthermore, his work in implementation of cultural projects underscores his commitment to the dissemination of knowledge and the democratization of access to culture. By integrating comprehensive management practices for cultural institutions, he facilitates sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges, such as social polarization and cultural identity crises.
At the IUI, his interdisciplinary approach and skill in weaving international networks of collaboration enrich the institute’s mission of providing holistic solutions to global challenges, building bridges between communities, and fostering mutual understanding.
Olga Chapou-Melnikova
With a wealth of experience in intercultural communication and conference interpretation for UN organizations and the EU, this professional brings unique expertise to the International UKLAD Institute.
A career spanning multiple countries allowed her to hone skills in bridging linguistic and cultural divides.
At the IUI, her responsibilities include moderating the International Working Group, fostering intercultural dialogue, and collaborating with cultural professionals and institutions. Rooted in Russian and French culture and driven by a commitment to interculturalism, especially during times of global crisis, Olga’s focus is on advancing mutual understanding and cultural cooperation in an increasingly interconnected world.
Experts
Aurora Ortega de Torre
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Aurora joins the International UKLAD Institute with extensive experience in the conservation of cultural heritage, including areas impacted by climate change and environmental disasters. With a strong focus on risk reduction and the protection of both tangible and intangible cultural assets, she has contributed to projects in regions impacted by flooding and desertification, including Turkey and Uzbekistan. These experiences have deepened her understanding of the critical role cultural traditions and practices play in building resilience and reducing social tensions during times of crisis.
With experience as consultant for the World Monuments Fund in Thailand, the Christensen Fund in Uzbekistan, and the Hewlett Foundation in Turkey, Aurora has contributed to a wide range of international conservation projects. In Thailand, she supported the conservation of Wat Chaiwatthanaram, focusing on capacity-building for local teams. At the Getty as a Project Specialist, Aurora worked on documenting and monitoring Roman mosaics and contributed to training on cultural heritage preservation and site management in Tunisia. She is a member of the ICOM and has also worked with major cultural institutions, including the MACBA in Barcelone and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, where she managed the condition reporting and preservation of contemporary art collections, ensuring the long-term care and documentation of valuable artworks.
Holding a Master’s in Cultural Property Protection in Crisis Response from the University of Torino/UNESCO, Aurora is a dedicated advocate for integrating climate change adaptation into cultural heritage preservation strategies. As the global threat of climate change reshapes communities and cultural identities, she is committed to equipping heritage professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to safeguard our shared cultural legacy for future generations.
Vladimir Roubtsov
STEM
Vladimir (Volodya) Rubtsov graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1974, specializing in Mathematics’, in the Department of Differential Geometry and its Applications). He holds a PhD, specialty ‘Higher Geometry and Topology’ (Minsk, BSU, 1983). He held scientific and teaching positions in various laboratories of mathematics, applied mathematics and topology, laboratories of mathematics, applied mathematics and VC in the former Soviet Union. From 1997 to 2021, he was a professor in the Department of Mathematics at Angers University of Angers (currently ‘Professor Emeritus’). He is a member of the LAREMA (Anjou Laboratory for Mathematical Research) of CNRS (France). From 1993 to 2019 he was a senior researcher at the theoretical department of the Institute of Alikhanov Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEF), and since 2019 he has been a leading Research Fellow at the Institute for Information Transmission Problems (IITP) in Moscow.
He has held visiting research positions at École Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France), as a visiting Professor at the Universities of Lyon, Lille, and Strasbourg (France), the University of Uppsala (Sweden), the University of Uppsala (Sweden), and the University of Uppsala (Sweden). Uppsala (Sweden), SISSA (Trieste, Italy) and others. He has been a visiting researcher at
IHES (France), MPIM (Bonn), Newton Institute (Cambridge, UK), Schrödinger Institute (Vienna) and others.
He led international research projects and national Grants (ANR, France, and RNF, Russia). His research lies in the fields of Poisson and noncommutative algebra and geometry, quantum groups, classical and quantum integrable systems, symplectic and contact geometric methods in nonlinear differential equations and their applications in hydrodynamics, motive geometries, geometrical methods in nonlinear differential equations and their applications in hydrodynamics, motive differential equations and their applications.
Since November 2009, he is one of the editors of the Journal of Geometry and Physics (Elsevier, Holland). Since 2021 he has been co-organiser of the regular (2 times a month) seminar ‘Motivic differential equations and around’ at the Henri Poincaré Institute (Paris).