I am an assistant professor in sociology at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Before that, I was a postdoctoral researcher at University Carlos III of Madrid (Spain), Maastricht University (Netherlands) and Keio University (Japan). I received a PhD in sociology from the University of Oslo in Norway, and a Master’s degree from Free University Berlin, Germany. I am also a former research fellow at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
I have devoted my academic career to understanding the nature and determinants of cultural differences between modern societies. This includes studying the way societies change their cultural values in the process of modernization, globalization, political cooperation/confrontation, and changes in the level of existential security. I also investigate the impact of national culture on other societal outcomes that define quality of life. I am excited about establishing new collaborations!
In my personal life, I love travelling, experiencing and interacting with other cultures. I grew up in a small town in Bulgaria and travelled abroad for the first time when I was 19. Since then I have lived in nine countries (Bulgaria, the US, the UK, Germany, Norway, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, and the Netherlands) for at least three months, two more (Russia and Malaysia) for a month, and visited more 43 countries in total.