Marina Grishakova

Marina Grishakova serves as Chair Professor of Literary Theory and Intermedial Studies at the Institute of Cultural Research, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu. Elected to Academia Europaea in 2016, she holds prominent leadership roles including membership on the International Comparative Literature Association (ICLA) Executive Council and supervision of the International Research Training Group Baltic Peripeties (Universities of Greifswald, Tartu, and Trondheim). Her academic trajectory shows steady progression from Lecturer (1993-2004) to Associate Professor (2008-2015) and finally to full Professor (2015-present), with significant international engagement through Fulbright, DAAD, and British Academy fellowships.

Professor Grishakova's research spans narratology, literary theory, intermedial studies, and semiotics of culture, with particular focus on narrative complexity, literature-film relationships, and cognitive approaches to narrative. Her scholarly evolution demonstrates movement from early work on Nabokov's spatial models toward increasingly sophisticated interdisciplinary frameworks that bridge humanities with cognitive science. She has made substantial contributions to understanding how narrative structures shape human cognition and cultural evolution, especially during periods of crisis and transformation.

Her recent publications reveal thematic concentration on narrative complexity, intermediality in digital contexts, and pandemic narratives. The 15 most recent articles show consistent exploration of how narrative forms adapt to represent complex systems and experiences, with growing emphasis on cross-media applications and the epistemological dimensions of fiction. Her work increasingly integrates insights from cognitive science, systems theory, and media studies to develop new theoretical frameworks for understanding narrative representation.

• Member of Academia Europaea (2016)
• British Academy Visiting Scholar grant (2011)
• Honorary badge of the University of Tartu (2011)
• Fulbright scholarship for senior researchers (2008)
• DAAD research scholarship (2007)
• NordForsk grant as project leader (2008)
• Special issue of CompLit nominated for ESCL Excellence Award (2023)

Professor Grishakova has supervised 9 doctoral students and 5 postdoctoral researchers across international institutions, with projects spanning cognitive approaches to fiction, narrative ethics, and digital storytelling. She has led major international collaborations including the European Network of Comparative Literary Studies (2011-2013) and Nordic Network of Narrative Studies (2007-2011), and currently participates in COST Action INDCOR on Interactive Narrative Design and the CELSA project 'Re-Familiarizing the Body and its Umwelt.' Her extensive service includes editorial board membership for five international journals and advisory roles for prestigious book series.

Directing the Narrative, Culture, Cognition research group at the University of Tartu, Professor Grishakova maintains an active international presence with over 30 recent guest lectures and plenary presentations across Europe. Her scholarly impact extends through translation of her works into French, Spanish, Czech, Bulgarian, and Chinese, demonstrating significant global influence in literary theory and narratology.