Irina R. Katkova

Irina R. Katkova is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Oriental Studies, St. Petersburg State University, and a Senior Fellow at the International Institute of Asian Studies (Leiden) since 2016. She specializes in Islamic history, Sufism, and Southeast Asian manuscript studies, with a focus on Malay manuscripts from Indonesia and Western Sumatra.

• Education: Ph.D. in Asian and African Studies, St. Petersburg State University (1991).

Her research explores religious aspects of Islam, Sufi literature, and Islamic written heritage, particularly from Sufi brotherhoods in Western Sumatra. She has collaborated on projects like the Islamic Encyclopedia and Encyclopedia of Mysticism (Brill) and led the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme (2010–2014).

Katkova has been a visiting scholar at institutions including the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, ISAM (Istanbul), and The Hague Nationaal Archief, contributing to manuscript preservation and Sufi history studies.

• Scientific Awards:
  • KHK Visiting Research Fellowship (2018).
  • Senior Fellow at IIAS Leiden (2016–present).
  • Visiting Fellowships at multiple international institutes.