Welcoming CRRC-Armenia’s first Junior Fellows!

Date: May 24, 2013

By CRRC-Armenia Junior Fellow Ani Karapetyan

With the aim of strengthening the capacity of young social science researchers, the Caucasus Research Resource Centers-Armenia team is excited to announce the launch of the Junior Fellowship Program in Armenia. Six Fellows were selected, and over the next half year they will contribute to the work of CRRC while also receiving on the job and more formal training from staff and outside experts. The Fellows were selected through a competitive, multiple-step process; after an initial application-based selection, they completed a test-based assessment, and, finally, participated in a week-long training, where they produced a short research paper for final evaluation. Each of the Fellows has a unique background and research interests, and they have already begun contributing to different projects at CRRC – Armenia.

Anna Drnoyan graduated from the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, department of Political Science and is currently enrolled in the Master program of Political Science and International Affairs at the American University of Armenia. Since October 2012, she has held a work-study position at the Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis, where she has become interested in social science research, particularly related to local development. Anna is currently engaged in the World Bank STEP (Skills Toward Employment and Productivity/Household Skills Measurement) project with the CRRC – Armenia.

Ani Karapetyan’s educational background is in Philosophy. She holds her BA degree from Yerevan State University (Yerevan, Armenia) and an MA degree from the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary). Both degrees were obtained from the departments of philosophy and focused on topics in philosophy of science. Her research interests in social science are connected, but not limited to, behavioral economics and social framing. Within the framework of the CRRC – Armenia Junior Fellowship program, Ani is currently working on the STEP project initiated by the World Bank.

Arman Gasparyan recently graduated from American University of Armenia with a Master of Arts in Political Science and International Affairs. He had previously obtained abachelor’s degree from Yerevan State University, in thedepartment of Political Science. Since October 2012, he has been working for the AUA Turpanjian Center for Policy Analysis, as well as the Group on Foreign Affairs. Arman gained genuine interest in social science research while doing surveys among the population of Dilijan for a report that was submitted to Central Bank. Arman is currently contributingtoan innovative project that aims to predict the quality of CRRC’s Caucasus Barometer questionnaire using the Survey Quality Prediction (SQP) engine.

Tigran Sukiasyan graduated from the French University in Armenia in 2010 and holds a BA degree in Management. Currently, he is enrolled in the Master program of Economics and Management at the State Engineering University of Armenia, where heis also a project coordinator, within the framework of the Enterprise Development & Market Competitiveness project, initiated by the USAID. His interests in social sciences are focused on the developmentof living standards and economic expansion. He is currently engaged in the Alternative Resources in Media project and is responsible for database elaboration and analyses.

Marianna Fidanyan graduated from the Armenian State University of Economics, department of International Economic Relations. Currently she is a PhD student at Yerevan State University. During the 2011/2012 academic year she studied at the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki as part of the Erasmus Mundus program. Her primary research interests lie in the field of international economics, particularly in international trade in high-tech industries. At CRRC-Armenia she is currently working on Caucasus Barometer questions’ quality prediction project.

Anahit Hakobyan graduated from Yerevan State University with a Bachelor Degree in International Relations. Currently, she studies in the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at the American University of Armenia. Her main research interests are in the field of international relations, with a focus on conflicts and corruption in Armenia. At CRRC-Armenia,she is involved in the World Bank STEP project.

The Junior Fellowship Program began in full just a few weeks ago, and the Fellows are still learning about their work and assigned projects. The goal of the program is that at the end of their time with CRRC, theJunior Fellows will have an in depth knowledge of quantitative data analysis,solid skills in academic writing, and valuable experience in project management.

This program is extremely exciting and important for all of the CRRC-Armenia staff; we are grateful for the opportunity to work with such enthusiastic and impressive young social scientists and hope that we can be a resource for them in launching successful and fulfilling careers.

In addition to the other projects, several of the Fellows will be revising and publishing their research papers that they produced for the training.

Check back soon for links to the papers!

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