We offer MA, MPhil and PhD research degrees on a full- and part-time basis. 

We offer postgraduate research supervision in the following fields:

• Russian and Soviet History
• Russian, Ukrainian and Central and East European Politics
• Central and Eastern Europe and European integration
• Nationalism, identities and ethnic conflicts
• Economics of transformation, economic policy and regional economics of Russia
• Contemporary East European culture, media and society
• Caucasus and Central Asia: politics, international relations, society and religion

Contemporary politics of Russia, Ukraine and Central and Eastern Europe

Dr Tim Haughton
Email: t.j.haughton@bham.ac.uk

• Contemporary politics and political and international relations of Russia, Ukrainian, East-Central Europe and Eurasia Contemporary politics and political parties of Central and Eastern Europe
• inter-relationships between political change and nationalism, minority rights, etc
• the economics of transformation and the integration of this region into the European Union

Dr David White
Email: d.j.white.1@bham.ac.uk

• Contemporary Russian politics

Dr Derek Averre
Email: d.l.averre@bham.ac.uk

• Russian foreign and security policy
• Political relations between Russia and Europe
• Security and arms control/non-proliferation issues in USSR successor states.

Dr Kataryna Wolczuk
Email: k.wolczuk@bham.ac.uk

• Relations between the EU and the post-Soviet states in Europe in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership
• Impact of the EU on domestic change in the eastern partner countries
• Regional integration in the post-Soviet space (with particular reference to the Customs Union/Eurasian Economic Union)
• Institutional framework, constitutional politics and executive-legislative relations in the post-Soviet states 

Economics of transformation and economic policy

Richard Connolly
Email: r.connolly@bham.ac.uk

• The economics of Russia and other ex-socialist countries, including current reforms and policies, issues of knowledge-based economic development, trade and investment, and the economics of the military and defence industry

Deema Kaneff
Email: d.kaneff@bham.ac.uk

• Developing markets, economic reforms and political resistance
• The informal economy in former socialist states

Dr Derek Averre
Email: d.l.averre@bham.ac.uk

• Economics of the Russian defence industry and its relations with the civilian economy

Contemporary Russian and Central and Eastern European culture and society

Dr Galina Yemelianova
Email: g.yemelianova@bham.ac.uk

• Islam, with particular reference to the relationship between Islam, ethnicity and nationalism in Russia's republics.

Deema Kaneff
Email: d.kaneff@bham.ac.uk 

• Political, social and economic exclusion
• Forms of European transnational migration
• The anthopology of post-socialist states

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Adjunct staff in the College of Arts and Law – Arfon Rees, Natasha Rulyova and Jeremy Morris – are also available for research supervision within CREES on the following topics:

Russian and Soviet history 16th–20th centuries

Dr Arfon Rees
Email: e.a.rees@bham.ac.uk

• Political and economic history of the Soviet Union and Russian Political Thought

Contemporary Russian and Central and Eastern European culture and society 

Dr Natasha Rulyova
Email: n.e.rulyova@bham.ac.uk

• New media, gender and sexuality, fieldwork methods
• Russian language media, literature and society.

Dr Jeremy Morris
Email: j.b.morris@bham.ac.uk

• Russian language media, literature and society.

In addition, we have collaborative links with other University departments, in particular the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences (GEES) , whose staff members Dr Stefan Bouzarovski (Buzar), Dr Dominique Moran, Dr John Round and Dr Denis Shaw are all Adjunct Members of CREES. Their research interests on cultural, historical, political and environmental issues on Russia and Eastern Europe, from a geographical standpoint, enhance both CREES and its students. 

If I gain a postgraduate research degree in Russian and East European Studies, what are my career prospects?

The University of Birmingham has recently been ranked 9th in the UK, and 55th in the world, for post-qualification employability in a global survey of universities commissioned by the International Herald Tribune.

Over the last five years, 89.8% of Russian and Eastern European Studies postgraduates have been in work and/or further study six months after graduation.

Graduates from Birmingham’s Centre for Russian and East European Studies develop a broad range of transferable skills including: familiarity with research methods; the ability to manage large and diverse quantities of information; the ability to organise information in a logical and coherent manner; the expertise to write clearly and concisely and to tight deadlines; critical and analytical ability; the capacity for argument, debate and speculation; and the ability to base conclusions on statistical research.

Due to the non-vocational nature of a postgraduate degree in Russian and East European Studies, many graduates choose jobs unrelated to their course of study, and have made their mark in a wide range of careers. A number of our PhD graduates stay in academia and forge successful teaching and research careers.

What type of career assistance is available to doctoral researchers in Russian and East European Studies?

The College of Social Sciences, to which the Centre for Russian and East European Studies belongs, has specially designated careers advisors and careers consultants who can provide guidance for doctoral researchers on career paths, CVs, training opportunities, application and interviews. The University’s central Careers’ Service also runs workshops and offers personally tailored advice and guidance including 1-1 careers advice, 1-1 CV advice. The Career’s Service also runs CV writing workshops especially for postgraduates in the College of Social Sciences, giving advice on how to compile CVs for both employment and for academic roles.

The University also has dedicated careers advisors for International students who run workshops and networking opportunities with potential employers. These are especially popular with International postgraduate researchers.