Eduard Ponarin holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Michigan (the USA) and is a tenured professor at the Higher School of Economics (Russia) where he directs Laboratory for Comparative Social Research. He is Russia’s representative in the Word Values Survey Association and a member of that organization’s Executive Council. Before joining Higher School of Economics, he taught at the European University at St. Petersburg (1998-2008) where he served as the Chair of Political Science and Sociology (2005-2008). He also served on PONARS Executive Board in 2003–2006. Professor Ponarin's research interests include survey research, comparative sociology, nationalism and identity politics, and Islamic societies.