Employees

Alevtina Solovyeva specialises in comparative Asian studies, Chinese and Mongolian studies, folkloristics, historical and social anthropology, and social sciences. She obtained her first PhD in Asian studies (2016) and the second in Folkloristics (2021). She undertook her postdoctoral research at the Faculty of Social Anthropology, University of Cambridge (2022). She has been conducting fieldwork research for various projects in Mongolia, China, and other regions of Inner, Central, and East Asia annually since 2006.

alevtina.solovyeva@ut.ee

Since 2010, he has been a Research Fellow at the University of Tartu's Centre for Oriental Studies in Estonia, becoming a Senior Research Fellow in 2013 and specializing in Comparative Religion from 2014 to 2017. Currently, he serves as a Senior Research Fellow and Associate Professor in Ancient Near Eastern and Sumerian Culture. His research primarily focuses on Ancient Near Eastern mythology, the history of religion, and political history, particularly from the third millennium. He also explores comparative religion, creation myths, and ancient military ideologies. Additionally, he teaches courses on Near Eastern history, mythology, and literature at Tartu University and other institutions.

peeter.espak@ut.ee

Vladimir Sazonov has worked since 2021 as an Associate Professor at the University of Tartu. He teaches lectures on politics, (cultural) history and security (Ancient Near East, modern Middle East, Russia). 2010-2013 Vladimir Sazonov was a Research Fellow in Oriental Studies and 2013-2020 Senior Research Fellow at the University of Tartu. His research fields comprise Ancient Near Eastern history, Middle Eastern, Russian state ideology and information war.

vladimir.sazonov@ut.ee

Teet Toome is a librarian at the Centre for Oriental Studies. He has a Research Master's Degree in World Literature, and his scholarly interests focus on Buddhist and Indian studies, more especially on Mahayana Buddhist sutras and Sanskrit studies. At the Centre for Oriental Studies he is managing the library.

teet.toome@ut.ee

Alina Oprelianska is a Junior Research Fellow and a PhD student at the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu, Estonia, and a PhD student at the Department of Folkloristics at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine, specializing in the field of Fairy Tale Studies, with a focus on gender aspects, customary law, folk beliefs and narratives. She was also a visiting researcher and Research Assistant at the University of Alberta, the Kule Folklore Center for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore (2022), and at Jagiellonian University, Department of Pragmatics and Translation Theory (2023).

alina.oprelianska@ut.ee

Yanjinlkham Dashtseren is a research assistant at the Centre for Oriental Studies and a Folkloristics and Applied Heritage student at the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore at the University of Tartu. She is interested in the Buriad, a minority ethnic group in Mongolia. Being Buriad herself, her Master's thesis is likely to address the topic of post-memory of forced migration of the Buriad that took place in the early 20th century. She has a Bachelor's degree in computer sciences from the National University of Mongolia (2008), and extensive work experience as an IT coordinator and general manager for international companies.

yanjinlkham.dashtseren@ut.ee

Rodion Krupin is the research assistant and communication coordinator at the Centre for Oriental Studies. He is currently an MA student at the Johan Skytte Institute and his scholarly interests focus on Japanese studies, international relations and region studies and contemporary politics in the Asia region. At the Centre for Oriental Studies, he promotes Japanese topics both within the centre and externally, while also building and maintaining partnerships with Japanese universities and research institutions.

rodion.krupin@ut.ee

Betti Marie Peterson holds the position of research specialist in folklore and Asian studies at the Centre for Oriental Studies. She has an MA in Contemporary Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Tartu with a focus on contemporary adaptations of textile heritage in South Korea. In the Centre, Betti Marie conducts research for the ongoing project mapping Russian and Chinese influences in Central Asia, and works for advancing Korean topics as well as furthering connections with Korean research institutions. Betti Marie’s special interests also include examining the construction of Korean historical garments and creating clothing inspired by Korean national costume (hanbok).

betti.marie.peterson@ut.ee

Carl Liles' first introduction to Central Asia was teaching English as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Kyrgyzstan from 2017-2019. His interest in the region's cultures, languages, and politics has since grown, and he continued his residency in Kyrgyzstan as an English teacher with the Fulbright Student Commision from 2019-2020, and then worked as a research assistant in Kazakhstan at KIMEP University for a year afterwards. Carl's academic pursuits led him to the University of Tartu's Skytte Institute, where he completed his MA in International Relations and Regional Studies in 2024.

carl.frederick.liles@ut.ee

Ismet Suleimanov holds an MA in Contemporary Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Tartu. His areas of interest are memory and genocide studies with a focus on collective traumas in post-socialist space. As a member of the Centre for Oriental Studies, participating in a project on Central Asia, he has monitored the human rights situation in the region, particularly in Kyrgyzstan.

ismet.suleimanov@ut.ee

Jonathan Darvish-Kojori is a BA student at the Institute of Cultural Research studying ethnology, literature and Estonian linguistics. He will conduct his BA final research in Tajikistan and will participate in the project focusing on Central Asian countries under the supervision of the Centre for Oriental Studies.

jonathan.darvish-kojori@ut.ee

Reyhaneh Ghoroghchian (Reina) is a specialist in Asian Studies affiliated with the Centre of Oriental Studies. She earned her Master's degree from the University of Tartu in the "Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies" MA program within the Department of Estonian and Comparative Folklore. Her thesis, which centred on the Qashqai nomads of the Zagros Mountains, delved deep into their struggles and resilience amidst rapid social and economic changes. Reina's research exposes migration, diaspora, and cultural continuity in the Persian-speaking world. She advocates for cultural preservation, emphasizing the importance of safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and empowering marginalized communities.

reyhaneh.ghoroghchian@ut.ee

Krzysztof Ulanowski is an Associate Professor (Ph.D.) in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gdańsk, specializing in social anthropology. His research interests encompass anthropology, Religious Studies, History, and Classical and Oriental Studies. Key topics include the influence of Mesopotamian civilization on Hellenic cultures, the distinctions between religion, magic, and divination, ancient cultures, and issues surrounding religious minorities in Pomerania. He is affiliated with several scientific organizations, including the Polish Orientalist Society and the Society of Biblical Literature, and serves on the board of the international Melammu Project. Ulanowski has conducted research in various academic centres and he has authored over fifty publications.