What brought you to work at SSEES?
I completed my Master’s degree at SSEES, and during that time, it became a second home to me. Six years ago, if someone had told me I would one day return as a lecturer, I would not have believed it, but here we are. My experience as a student and the strong connection I developed to this place are the main reasons I chose to come back. Also, SSEES is one of the world’s leading institutions for the study of the former Soviet and Eastern European region. As a specialist in area studies with a focus on the Caucasus, Russia, and Eastern Europe, I see it as the ideal environment to share my knowledge with others who share these interests, while continuing to grow academically myself.
If you weren’t working in academia, what would be your dream job?
The main reason I chose academia as a career is that, before making that decision, I had worked across nearly every sector, including media, government, and the non-governmental sphere, and knew that academia was where I truly belonged. If I had not pursued an academic path, I would likely have remained in the non-governmental sector, where I focused on researching the Soviet past, memory politics, and disinformation campaigns. That work was deeply engaging and felt impactful. For example, our team conducted extensive archival research on Stalinist terror in Georgia, uncovering previously unknown details and unique archival evidence. We also assessed the openness of state archives in twenty former communist countries and led advocacy campaigns to increase public access to the records kept there. Another possible path might have been government service, particularly in science, research, and innovation policy. In Georgia, I worked for the National Science Foundation, which was also an enriching experience. However, given the current political climate there, I believe such a role would no longer be feasible for someone like me.
Can you tell us a bit about your current role and what you were doing before you arrived here?
I am currently a Lecturer in Soviet/Post-Soviet History at UCL, where I teach two modules: ‘The History of the Soviet Union’ and ‘Russia and the World since 1905.’ I am delighted to be taking up this role and look forward to bringing fresh perspectives to both courses. For ‘The History of the Soviet Union’, I intend to move beyond a Russia-centred narrative by incorporating more of the experiences of the non-Russian peripheries. This reflects the discipline’s current shift towards more inclusive and decolonial approaches, which I am keen to embed in my teaching. In ‘Russia and the World since 1905’, I hope to encourage students not merely to absorb historical facts but to engage critically with the continuities and changes in Russia’s ideology and foreign policy within a global context. My aim is that the course will help them understand not only Russia’s modern history but also its evolving role as a regional and international actor.
Before coming back to SSEES, I completed a doctoral degree at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford. My doctoral thesis, ‘Stalin’s Cult in Georgian Colours: Historical Narratives and Cultural Work in the Production of Georgian Stalinism, 1924-1956’, is based on extensive archival research in Georgia’s former Soviet archives and explores the origins of a distinctly Georgian version of Stalin’s cult of personality. Alongside my doctoral work, I taught tutorials on Soviet and post-Soviet history across several Oxford colleges and organised the annual Oxford–Georgia Forum, an initiative launched in 2022.
Outside of work, how do you unwind?
Outside work, I spend most of my free time with my husband. We enjoy going to the cinema, theatre, jazz concerts and opera, or simply taking long walks together. We also like staying in to cook and watch films. He loves dancing and I love singing, so we make a good pair when it comes to having fun. As for solo activities, I enjoy swimming and aim to start my mornings with a swim whenever I can.
If you could recommend only one book, what would it be?
That is a difficult question. However, the book that feels most relevant – both to the subjects I teach at UCL and to my own experience of growing up in the former Soviet space, living through war, and navigating a turbulent political climate – would be George Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. This book reminds us how fragile freedom is, how propaganda, fear and the manipulation of history shape societies and how easily truth can be distorted by authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.
What is your biggest professional achievement to date?
Completing a doctorate at the University of Oxford on a full scholarship and then moving straight into a lectureship at UCL is certainly a significant achievement. However, none of these would have been possible without first discovering a research topic I am truly passionate about. Therefore, I consider finding a topic I am ready to devote my whole life to as my greatest professional achievement. I believe this is the most important milestone in an academic journey, and I am truly proud of myself for having the patience, self-discipline and perseverance to stay focused until I found it.