Speakers

Francesco Sarracino is a Senior Researcher at STATEC, the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies of Luxembourg. He serves as Head of the Well-being and Entrepreneurship Research Unit and Deputy Director of the Research Division. His research focuses on subjective wellbeing, social capital, trust, and their relationship with economic development, quality of life, and public policy. He has participated in international research projects on well-being measurement and sustainable development. He has also contributed to the development of social indicators used in policy analysis. Since 2026, he has served as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Wellbeing Economics. He obtained his PhD in Economics from the University of Florence (Italy) in 2010 and later received a Marie Curie postdoctoral research grant.

Areas of expertise

• Wellbeing economics
• Social capital and trust
• Quality of life measurement
• Sustainable development
• Public policy and social indicators

Education

PhD in Economics
University of Florence, Italy

Key achievements

• Author of academic publications on wellbeing and social capital
• Co-investigator and leader in international research projects on wellbeing and quality of life measurement)
• Recipient of the Marie Curie research grant
• Contributor to the development of social indicators for policy evaluation
• Regular speaker at international academic and policy forums
• Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Wellbeing Economics

Theodore P. Gerber is Professor of Sociology at University of Wisconsin–Madison and a leading scholar of social and economic change in post-Soviet societies. He previously served as Director of the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA).

He earned his PhD and M.A. in Sociology from University of California, Berkeley, and his B.A. from University of Michigan. Prior to Wisconsin, he held academic positions at University of Oregon and University of Arizona.

He has authored or co-authored more than 50 peer-reviewed publications across leading journals in sociology, political science, and interdisciplinary research. His work focuses on social inequality, migration, public opinion, and economic change in Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet countries.

He has conducted over 30 original surveys internationally, and his research has informed policymakers and government institutions in the United States and Europe.

Areas of Expertise

• Social Inequality
• Post-Soviet Societies
• Public Opinion
• Migration and Demography
• Socio-economic Transformation

Education

• Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, 1995
• M.A. in Sociology, University of California, Berkeley, 1991
• B.A. in Comparative Literature and Social Science, University of Michigan, 1987

Key Achievements

• Conducted 30+ international surveys
• Publications in top-tier academic journals
• Advisor to US government institutions and European policymakers
• Member of the Sociological Research Association

Yu Xie is Bert G. Kerstetter ’66 University Professor of Sociology and has a faculty appointment at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies, Princeton University. He is also a Visiting Chair Professor of the Center for Social Research, Peking University.

Xie joined the faculty Aug. 1, 2015, after 26 years at the University of Michigan, most recently as the Otis Dudley Duncan Distinguished University Professor of Sociology, Statistics and Public Policy and a research professor in the Population Studies Center at Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.

He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Academia Sinica and the National Academy of Sciences. His appointment is part of a University initiative to deepen the regional studies curriculum in the social sciences. The Center on Contemporary China is part of PIIRS, and Xie’s appointment marks the first joint faculty appointment by PIIRS and a department in the social sciences.

Areas of Expertise:

• Social Inequality
• Demography
• Chinese Society Research
• Educational Inequality
• Social Mobility
• Quantitative Research Methods
• Sociology of Science

 Education

• BA, Shanghai University of Technology, 1982
• MA, Sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1984
• PhD, Sociology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1989

 Key Achievements

• Leader of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) international research project
• Author of publications in leading international scientific journals
• Influential international researcher in social inequality and Chinese society studies

An internationally recognized expert in econometrics, survey methodology, and data collection infrastructure. A pioneer in developing probability-based online panels for social science research. Specializes in developing large-scale data infrastructures, online panel methodology, and application of AI in social research.

 Prof. Dr. Marcel Das has been the Director of CentERdata – an independent non-profit research institute located at Tilburg University campus – since September 2000. CentERdata is an official partner of Tilburg University and operates the LISS panel (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences), a probability-based online panel for collecting research data through surveys.

Since February 2009, he has also served as Professor of Econometrics and Data Collection at the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research, Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM).

Before joining CentERdata, he worked as a senior researcher at CentER Applied Research – an institute for applied economic research affiliated with Tilburg University. He has led numerous national and international research projects and has published scientific articles in international journals focusing on statistical and empirical analyses of survey data and methodological issues in web-based (panel) surveys.

Prof. Das actively participates in the governance of scientific infrastructure, serving as a member of the Management Board of ODISSEI (Open Data Infrastructure for Social Science and Economic Innovations) and several other international advisory boards.

 Areas of Expertise

• Online Survey and Panel Methodology – developing innovative data collection methods, questionnaire design, and management of web panels (including the LISS panel)
• Statistical and Empirical Modeling – application of complex statistical and empirical models for analysis of survey data and microeconometric research
• Data Infrastructure and Big Data – creation and development of IT infrastructures for open science and large-scale social research
• AI and Machine Learning in Research – utilizing advanced computational methods for consumer behavior analysis and forecasting

 Education

• PhD (cum laude) in General Econometrics / Statistics, Tilburg University

 Key Achievements

• Laureate of the prestigious Hennipman Prize (2003) for contribution to economic science
• Founding Principal Investigator of the LISS panel (Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences)
• Member of the Core Scientific Team of the European Social Survey (ESS) since 2023
• Author of more than 70 scientific publications in leading international journals, including research on the impact of life events on mental health and methodological aspects of online surveys
• Contributor to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality, decent work, and innovative infrastructure

Research contributes to the UN SDGs, including SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work), and SDG 9 (Innovation Infrastructure)

• Extensive teaching experience in statistics, probability theory, and quantitative methods for business and economics

Tatiana Karabchuk started her academic career in 2002. She earned her PhD in Economic Sociology and Demography from the National Research University Higher School of Economics in 2010 and a Post Graduate Degree in Higher Education from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in 2012. Currently, she is an Associate Professor at UAEU and serves as an Associate Editor for the journal “Gender, Work & Organization”. Previously, she spent 15 years at the Higher School of Economics (Russia) as an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of an international research center. Tatiana has been a visiting researcher at prestigious institutions worldwide, including the University of Michigan and UNC Chapel Hill (USA), Hitotsubashi University (Japan), and GESIS (Germany).

Areas of expertise

• Labor market studies: atypical employment, unemployment, and social policies
• Economic sociology: behavior of households and firms
• Comparative quantitative social research: cross-national analysis
• Demography: fertility, family studies, and migration
• Social structure: inequalities, stratification, and poverty

Education

PhD in Economic Sociology and Demography (NRU Higher School of Economics)

Postgraduate Degree in Higher Education (London School of Economics)

Equivalency Certificate in Sociology (Ministry of Education)

Key achievements

• Ranked #1 Scientist in the UAE in Demographic Studies (AD Scientific Index 2022-2024)
• Strong research impact: h-index 18 and 1,323 Google Scholar citations
• Principal Investigator for 15 successfully completed research grants
• Author of over 40 articles in top-ranked academic journals

Leading expert in quantitative sociology with over 20 years of professional experience. Specializes in the design and implementation of large-scale national and international research projects, fieldwork management, and data quality assurance. Possesses strong expertise in statistical analysis, data coding, and standardization.

Since the late 1990s, she has been actively involved in large-scale sociological research projects across Russia and CIS countries. At Demoscope, she managed fieldwork operations, coordinated regional research networks, and ensured data quality in line with international standards.

At ROMIR, she held leadership roles where she developed and implemented advanced quality control systems for quantitative research, optimized workflows, and conducted internal training programs.

At Aston Consulting, she managed nationwide monitoring projects in the healthcare sector, including large-scale studies of hospital procurement systems.

Currently, she contributes to strategically important research initiatives (including projects with the Central Bank of Russia and HSE University), focusing on data processing, coding, and analytical preparation of datasets.

 Areas of Expertise

• Quantitative sociological research and methodology
• Large-scale fieldwork and project management
• Data processing and statistical analysis (SPSS, coding, validation)
• Sociology of markets and institutional systems (including healthcare)
• Quality control systems and research standardization

Education

PhD-level postgraduate studies in Social Structure and Social Processes

Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences

Degree in Sociology

Institute of Youth

Degree in Computer Engineering

Kaunas Polytechnic Institute

Key Achievements

• Over 20 years of experience in large-scale sociological research
• Participation in national-level research projects with governmental and academic institutions
• Development and implementation of data quality control systems
• Leadership in fieldwork operations across Russia and CIS countries
• Advanced expertise in large datasets and statistical analysis

Aigul Zabirova is Chief Research Fellow at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KazISS), Doctor of Sociological Sciences, and Professor. She is one of the leading specialists in the study of public opinion, value transformations, and social stratification in post-Soviet societies.

Her work combines theoretical innovation and empirical depth. Within this framework she has developed the concept of ambivalent modernity – a conceptual lens that explains the coexistence of competing value systems in contexts of uneven social change.

She has extensive experience in designing and leading large-scale sociological surveys and international research projects, contributing to the development of methodological approaches to studying social change in complex and transitional societies.

From 2016 to 2023 she served as Professor at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). Between 1997 and 2015 she founded and chaired the Department of Sociology at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU).

Prof. Zabirova has undertaken academic fellowships at a number of leading international research centres: Lund University (Sweden, Erasmus Mundus grant), Indiana University (USA, Open Society Institute grant), the University of Warwick (UK, TACIS grant), the University of Magdeburg (Germany, INTAS grant), and Central European University (Budapest and Warsaw).

Her recent publications include work on religiosity, value change, and social transformation, including an article in the journal Frontiers in Sociology (2025).

Her keynote lecture at the Forum addresses the methodological challenges of capturing ambivalence in contemporary societies and the implications for survey research in the digital age.

Areas of Expertise

• Public opinion research and survey methodology
• Value transformations in post-Soviet societies
• Theory and methodology of ambivalent modernity
• Ethnosociology and ethnic identity
• Gender studies and sociology of the family
• Public policy and social transformation

Key Achievements

• Medal “Eren eńbegi üshün” (2025)
• Professor at UAEU (2016–2023)
• Founding head of the Department of Sociology at ENU (1997–2015)
• Principal Investigator on international research projects (Volkswagen-Stiftung, INTAS, Erasmus Mundus)
• Council member, Committee WG-01, International Sociological Association (since 2010)
• Best Lecturer Award, ENU (2009); honorary title Distinguished Worker of Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2008)

Education

Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Institute of Sociology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 2004

Degree in Sociology Institute of Youth, Moscow

The founder and President of BRIF Research Group, one of the oldest and largest independent research agencies in Central Asia. Established in 2000, BRIF has over 25 years of experience conducting comprehensive marketing and social research for both the commercial and public sectors in Kazakhstan.

Between 2001 and 2004, Mr Ruzanov played an active role in building the institutional foundations of Kazakhstan’s research industry. BRIF was among the co-founders of the Kazakhstan Association of Professional Researchers and Market (KAPIOR), the industry body that sets professional standards and a Code of Ethics for the sector.

In recent years, BRIF Research Group has developed a particular focus on the societal impact of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, especially among young people. In January 2026, Mr Ruzanov presented findings from a major joint study on Kazakhstani youth and AI – conducted in partnership with the Netherlands-based firm Summon Futures – at Kazakhstan Marketing Conference 2026.

Mr Ruzanov regularly contributes to KAPIOR’s annual reviews of Kazakhstan’s research market, participates in expert discussions, and engages directly with university students through applied research projects.

Areas of Expertise

• Quantitative and qualitative marketing research
• Public opinion surveys and social research
• Youth and digital technology: the societal impact of AI
• Consumer behaviour and market segmentation
• Research industry development and professional standardisation

Key Achievements

• Founder and President of BRIF Research Group – Kazakhstan’s leading independent research agency (since 2000)
• Over 25 years of ESOMAR-standard research practice
• Co-founder of KAPIOR, Kazakhstan’s professional association of market researchers (2001-2004)
• Speaker at Kazakhstan Marketing Conference 2026; co-author of an international study on AI and youth in Kazakhstan
• Active advocate for the digitalisation of research methods and the integration of new technologies into research practice