Dr. Miranda Svanidze is a Researcher at the Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), affiliated with Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. She has served as a Research Associate at IAMO since November 2019, focusing on agricultural markets, price transmission, and food security in transition economies. Her work contributes significantly to understanding market dynamics in the Black Sea region and post-Soviet states, particularly in relation to geopolitical events like Russia's war in Ukraine. Dr. Svanidze's educational background includes: PhD in Agriculture from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Germany, with highest honors ("summa cum laude") Master's degree in Economics (with Honors) from the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET), Georgia Dr. Svanidze's research centers on the functioning of agricultural markets and resilience of agri-food value chains, with specific expertise in price transmission analysis, market integration, consumer behavior, regional trade, and food security. Her work emphasizes agri-food markets in transition economies, particularly examining how geopolitical events like Russia's war in Ukraine impact grain markets, wheat pricing, and food security in the Black Sea region and beyond. She employs sophisticated economic modeling to analyze trade networks, market efficiency, and the effects of policy interventions. Analysis of Dr. Svanidze's recent publications reveals a strong focus on the intersection of geopolitics and agricultural markets, particularly regarding Russia's wheat exports and their global implications. Her work increasingly examines how climate factors, exchange rate fluctuations, and wartime conditions affect agricultural pricing and market integration. There's a notable trend toward analyzing crisis impacts on food systems, with growing attention to consumer behavior in wine markets of the South Caucasus region. Dr. Svanidze has received several notable scientific recognitions: Doctoral grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Selection as a young economist for the 6th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting on Economic Sciences (2017) PhD awarded with highest honors ("summa cum laude") from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Dr. Svanidze has been actively involved in multiple research projects including BlackSeaGrain (studying Russia's grain export business in the Black Sea), CRISPR (consumer protection and innovation marketing of green genetic engineering), EU4Dialogue_SC (improving agri-food value chains in the South Caucasus), MATRACC (global food crisis impact on wheat markets), and VALUMICS (understanding food value chains). Her work often involves international collaboration with researchers across Europe and the Caucasus region. As part of IAMO's Agricultural Markets, Marketing and World Agricultural Trade department, Dr. Svanidze contributes to a team examining market dynamics in transition economies. Her research frequently intersects with teams studying food security, trade policy, and value chain analysis, particularly in regions affected by geopolitical instability. She regularly presents findings at major agricultural economics conferences including the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) Congress and IAMO Forum events.
