Karmo Kroos

Karmo Kroos (born May 23, 1976) serves as the Vice Rector for Research at Estonian Business School since January 2025, having previously worked as Research and Development Programme Officer (2022-2024) and Lecturer (2008-2022). He maintains additional academic affiliations including adjunct positions at Tallinn University and Tallinn University of Technology. Kroos earned his doctoral degree cum laude from Åbo Akademi University specializing in social science research methodology, becoming one of the few non-Americans to receive the American Sociological Association's Best Research Paper Award.

His educational background includes a Doctorate in Sociology from Åbo Akademi (2022), M.Phil and MA in Political Science from Central European University with distinction (2001, 2000), and BA in International Economics from CIUE (1998). His academic training was supported by prestigious fellowships including Soros Scholarship and Samuel Freeman Charitable Trust scholarship.

Kroos's research focuses on institutional economics, economic sociology, and social transformation in Central and Eastern Europe, with particular emphasis on Iván Szelényi's intellectual contributions. His methodological expertise spans mixed methods research, meta-analysis, and bibliometric analysis. His scholarly work examines post-communist transitions, welfare capitalism models, higher education policy, and the sociology of knowledge.

His 15 most recent publications reveal consistent engagement with Central and Eastern European sociological traditions, methodological innovation in social sciences, and comparative political economy. His work demonstrates a clear trajectory from analyzing post-communist transitions to developing theoretical frameworks for understanding intellectual production and knowledge systems in transitional societies.

• Åbo Akademi rector's grant (2022)
• American Sociological Association Graduate Student Paper Award (2021)
• Åbo Akademi doctoral research grant (2020)
• Estonian National Culture Foundation stipend (2015)
• DoRa stipends for research at Cambridge and Columbia Universities
• Soros Scholarship and other prestigious fellowships

As Vice Rector for Research, Kroos oversees research grant applications, implementation, and quality control at Estonian Business School. He serves on the editorial board of 'Prometheus - Critical Studies in Innovation' and is a member of the EBS Research Ethics Committee. His administrative experience includes serving as Acting Head of Economics Department (2009-2013, 2004-2005) and membership in the Doctoral School of Behavioral, Social and Public Health Sciences (2009-2018).

His professional development includes training at IESE Business School's Faculty Development Programme and the European Summer School for Scientometrics at the University of Vienna. His previous experience spans both public sector (Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and private sector (Estonian Telephone Company), providing him with practical understanding of organizational dynamics across different institutional contexts.