Open to opportunities

Marina Kurilova

@marinakurilova

I coordinate urban sustainability research, stakeholder engagement, and spatial analysis for practical policy recommendations.

Kazakhstan

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What I'm looking for

I'm looking to contribute to sustainable urban development and international cooperation through stakeholder engagement, interdisciplinary research, spatial analysis, and practical policy support. I'm open to relocation.

I've coordinated interdisciplinary urban research at ITMO University's Quality of Urban Life Laboratory, producing analytical reports, policy recommendations, workshops, and research outputs for international conferences and journals. My work connects stakeholder engagement, participatory research, GIS-based spatial analysis, and evidence-based policy support.

Across the Circular Citizens International Project, the Center for Strategic Development of the North-West, and MLA+, I've researched circular practices, analyzed urban contexts, and contributed to the Ekaterinburg master plan. I'm passionate about sustainable urban development, international cooperation, and translating complex research into practical recommendations for governments, academia, and civil society.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Researcher

Circular Citizens International Project

Jan 2021 - Dec 2024 (3 years 11 months)

Conducted semi-structured interviews with environmental leaders and community members, processed and analyzed interviews, designed a georeferenced sociological survey, and performed GIS analysis of survey results. Wrote scientific articles, developed visual style and website, and prepared materials for roundtable discussions.

Structured Interviews GIS Analysis Survey Design Scientific Writing Web Design Wix Storytelling

Researcher & Lecturer

ITMO University

Jan 2017 - Dec 2023 (6 years 11 months)

Designed and coordinated interdisciplinary research projects, conducted stakeholder engagement activities, facilitated participatory workshops, and prepared analytical reports and policy recommendations. Collaborated with academic and external partners and supported dissemination of research findings.

Survey Design Participatory GIS Digital Ethnography Mixed Methods Research Qualitative Coding Thematic Analysis Latent Dirichlet Allocation Data Integration

Urban Research Assistant

MLA+

Jan 2016 - Dec 2017 (1 year 11 months)

Contributed to the development of the Ekaterinburg master plan and conducted spatial data analysis and visualization for urban redevelopment projects.

Spatial Data Analysis Data Visualization Urban Planning

Analyst

Center for Strategic Development of the North-West

Jan 2015 - Dec 2016 (1 year 11 months)

Conducted GIS-based analysis of urban contexts and spatial development patterns, developed methodologies for spatial research and urban data visualization, and performed data collection.

GIS Spatial Analysis Data Collection

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

LUMSA University

Master's Programme, Management for Sustainable Development Goals

2025 - 2026

Master's Programme for Management for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thesis on governance of community-based circular economy practices.

ITMO University

Master of Science, Research-Driven Technologies and Economics of Innovations

2014 - 2016

MSc in Research-Driven Technologies and Economics of Innovations. Thesis on integrated methodology for spatial potential identification using spontaneous data.