‘It is crucial to work in a team with 'strong' colleagues who you can learn a lot from and look up to’
Andrey Scherbak, St Petersburg School of Social Sciences
In 2000, I graduated with honours from the Historical Faculty, Department of Modern and Contemporary History at St Petersburg University. Then, I enrolled in a master's programme in Political Science at European University in St Petersburg, Department of Political Sciences and Sociology. In 2001, I was awarded a master's diploma with honours and continued my education in a PhD programme at the same university. In December 2003, I defended my PhD thesis at MGIMO University. My thesis topic is 'Influence of Coalition Politics on the Formation of the Party System in Russia'.
I am a political scientist, my research interests are at the junction of political science and political sociology. I wrote about the political economy of Russian politics, relations between the centre and the regions, and electoral politics.
In recent years, I focused on the modernisation theory, the problem of nationalism and ethnicity, religion and conservatism in Russian politics. My latest large project was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation last year—its topic was ecology and politics in the Russian regions.
This year in May, I expect my fourth PhD student to defend their thesis. For me, it is a very important achievement!
I started working at HSE University-St Petersburg a long time ago—back in 2004. For two years, I was teaching political science at the faculty of sociology. But then, I quit the university, and for four years, I worked outside the educational and scientific system. I returned to HSE University-St Petersburg in 2010, and since then, I have been working here. Next year, I will have 15 years of continuous experience.
At HSE University-St Petersburg, I like the team—I am surrounded by interesting and creative colleagues. The atmosphere at the university is very appealing—colleagues have a lot of plans, and plenty of ambitions, they constantly display their achievements. It is crucial to work in a team with 'strong' colleagues who you can learn a lot from and look up to. I like working in a multilingual environment, teaching, dealing with students, carrying out research and publishing my papers. It's addictive!