PhD in geography (2003); professor in the Moscow State University (the Geography faculty); the director of regional program at the Independent Institute of Social Policy. She is a specialist in the field of social and economic regional development, social and political geography; author and collaborator of monographs and articles (including “Social Development of Russian Regions: problems and tendencies of transition period”, Moscow, Ed. URSS, 2003; “Urbanization Crisis and Russian Countryside// Migration and Urbanization in CIS and the Baltic States in the 1990s of the XXth Century”, ed. by Zh. A. Zayonchkovskaya; “Russia’s Total Security Environment. The Southern Tier: Economic Security or Insecurity for Russia”, ed. by A. Arbatov, D. Hartelius, New York, Ed. M.E. Sharpe, 1999; “The Index of  Human Potential Development of Russian Regions. Geography”, Moscow, 1998; “The Evolution of Relations Between the Centre and Regions of Russia: from Conflicts to the Search of Harmony”, Moscow Ed. Complect-Progress, 1997).