Project Initiator: Nikolai Bachter.

Nikolai Bachter, the initiator of The Socrates Project, is a lifelong student of philosophy whose journey began in the 1990s with his first philosophy classes at Frankfurt University.

While building a career as a director in international banking in the City of London, he pursued formal study through Oxford University’s distance-learning programme (Certificate of Higher Education in Philosophy, Distinction), followed by a First Class Honours BA and a Distinction-level Master of Research (MRes) in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.

As of October 2025, he is enrolled in the MPhil Stud programme in Philosophy at University College London.

While his interests in philosophy are broad, Nikolai has taken a particular interest in Ancient Greek thought—especially the Pythagoreans, Socrates, and Plato.

Nikolai's philosophical pursuits have recently begun to find expression beyond his university studies. In 2024, he spoke at the London Ancient Science Conference on Plato's vision of the Mathematical Universe. In 2025, he launched The Socrates Project on the Udemy learning platform, where academic rigour meets accessible learning for curious minds.