Born in 1964.

1988 — Degree in Geography of Moscow State University. PhD, Economics (1992).

1992–1994 — Senior Researcher, Institute of Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences.

1994–1999 — Head of the Regional and Social Problems Sector at the Institute of Europe, RAS. Doctor of Political Sciences (2002). From 2010 to 2012 — Professor of the Department of Comparative Political Science, HSE. Since 1999 — Professor of the Department of Comparative Political Science, Political Science Faculty, MGIMO. From 2016 — Professor at the Department of Applied Political Science at the School of Social and Human Sciences of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, St. Petersburg.

Head of the Centre for Regional Political Studies MGIMO, expert of the Russian Council on International Affairs and the Moscow School of Political Studies, board member of the Russian Association of European Studies. Laureate of the State Prize of the Russian Federation for young scientists in the field of science and technology (1997), winner of the European Academy Award (1996).

She is the author of more than ten books on regional politics, federalism, and European integration.

Lives in Moscow.