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.

And please remember: 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

Local Affiliate
Vera Shevzov's research focuses on Orthodox Christianity in imperial, Soviet, and post-Soviet Russia.
Graduate Student Associate
Pauline Shongov is a P.h.D Candidate in Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University who works on media and ruination studies on the Balkan space.
Local Affiliate
Angela Shpolberg's research focuses on cultural relations between the U.S. and the nascent U.S.S.R in the 1920s.
Center Associate
Maxim D. Shrayer, a longtime Nabokov scholar, is a professor at Boston College. Shrayer’s new poetry collection, Zion Square, was published in August 2025.
Local Affiliate
Francesca Silano specializes in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church in the early years of the Bolshevik regime.
Advisory Board
James Simmons is managing partner at Mazovia Capital.
Local Affiliate
Cynthia Simmons continues to review scholarly work in her areas of expertise/interest, particularly pertaining to women and war.
Alumni
Helen Simpson is a graduate of the REECA Master's Program.