Vera Beloshitzkaya

Vera Beloshitzkaya is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Project Manager at the University of Salzburg's Department of Political Science, affiliated with the Faculty of Social Sciences. She leads the Horizon Europe Push*Back*Lash project under Professor Zoe Lefkofridi's Politics & Gender, Diversity & Equality Chair. Dr. Beloshitzkaya holds a PhD in Political Science from Florida International University and has served as a Dissertation Scholar at Brandeis University's Women’s Studies Research Center.

Her research focuses on reframing Central and Eastern European politics, emphasizing gender dynamics, democratic erosion, and authoritarianism. Key themes include political parties/social movements as agents of gender advocacy, and the influence of familial structures on political attitudes in post-communist regions. Methodologically, she employs mixed-methods approaches, including advanced statistical analysis.

Dr. Beloshitzkaya has prior teaching experience at Florida International University (Comparative Politics, Russian Politics) and Broward College (Sociology, Social Problems). Her project management expertise stems from state government work managing maternal/child health initiatives. Her research appears in journals like Party Politics, East European Politics, and The European Journal of Politics and Gender.

• Education: PhD in Political Science (Florida International University)
• Labs/Teams: Push*Back*Lash Project Lead