People

We are a community of students, scholars, and staff who share a dedication to understanding the region more deeply.

Find scholars with specific areas of geographic or historical focus by using the “Location” and “Time Period” pull-downs below — these refer to the places and eras our affiliates study, not the ones in which they live.

The views expressed by people affiliated with the Davis Center are as different as the people themselves and do not necessarily reflect institutional positions held by the center.

People

Center Associate
Jessica Pisano is currently writing a book about a single street in Eastern Europe under fascism, state socialism, and neoliberal democracy.
Steering Committee
Faculty Associate
Serhii Plokhii is Mykhailo S. Hrushevs'kyi Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University.
Fields
Center Associate
Chia-Yun Po focuses on authoritarian nuclear strategies and their impact on international law and energy security in the post-Soviet space and Indo-Pacific.
Alumni
Darya Podgoretskaya is a 2025 graduate of the Davis Center's REECA master's program.
Center Associate
Ethan Pollock is author of "Without the Banya We Would Perish: A History of the Russian Bathhouse."
Fields
Center Associate
Alumni
Sean Pollock teaches courses on the history of Russian empire, and has published on Russian empire-building in the Caucasus and the Russian campaign of 1812.
Center Associate
Jack Porter does research on genocide, the Shoah, human rights, and conflict.
Center Associate
Sheila Puffer's current research includes global leadership, the global sand crisis, and sustainability in the international construction and fossil fuel industries.
Center Associate
Simon Rabinovitch teaches and writes on a range of topics in European, Jewish, Russian, and legal history.
Fields