Valentina Izmirlieva

Valentina Izmirlieva, Professor in the Department of Slavic Languages, is a scholar of Balkan and East Slavic religious and political cultures with a focus on multi-ethnic and multi-religious empires and their successor states. The topics of her publications range from the medieval societies of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions to the post-Soviet cultural space. Professor Izmirlieva is the recipient of many awards and distinctions, including a Fellowship at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers (New York Public Library), the President’s Global Innovation Fund Grant, and a Lenfest Columbia Distinguished Faculty Award. She founded and leads Black Sea Networks, a global initiative to investigate the Black Sea as a hub of cultural, political, and historical interest, and is currently the Director of Columbia University’s Harriman Institute for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies.