Olga Kamenchuk

Olga Kamenchuk is an associate research professor in the Institute for Policy Research and an associate professor of instruction in the School of Communication at Northwestern University. She is a Co-Principal Investigator on the Comparative National Elections Project for Russian, Ukrainian, and Serbian electoral studies. Prior to joining Northwestern University, she was co-director of the Eurasian Security & Governance Program at the Ohio State University Mershon Center for International Security Studies and associate professor (clinical) in the OSU School of Communication.

Dr. Kamenchuk has over twenty years of extensive experience working with governmental agencies, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs on a diverse range of communication, program evaluation and public opinion projects across many different policy contexts. During her work in the research and communication industries she conducted hundreds of opinion research projects for the World Bank, United Nations, Cambridge University, University of Pennsylvania, U.S. Global Media Agency, Asahi Shimbun, etc.

Having received her education in three different countries (Austria, Russia and U.S.), Dr. Kamenchuk’s scholarship centers on the intersections of political psychology, public opinion and policy analysis across a range of international security and inter-cultural contexts, especially in the Eurasian region. Dr Kamenchuk’s research has been published in International Journal of Public Opinion Research, Social Science Quarterly, Hague Journal of Diplomacy, etc. Her interviews, comments and publications appeared on CNN, ZDF, The Washington Post’s Monkey Cage (Political Science blog), VOA and RFE-RL, RTVI, etc. She is frequently invited to give talks at U.S. think tanks, including Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Annenberg Public Policy Center, USC Center for Public Diplomacy and others.

Education

• Post-graduate certificate in International Relations, Vienna Diplomatic Academy (Austria)
• Ph.D. Psychology (Intercultural Communication), Utah State University
• M.S. Psychology (Program Evaluation Methodology), Utah State University
• M.A. History (International Conflict), Ivanovo State University (Russia)

Affiliations

• Faculty Affiliate, Center for Communication & Public Policy (CCPP)
• Non-residential faculty affiliate, OSU Mershon Center for International Security Studies
• Co-Principal Investigator, Comparative National Elections Project (CNEP)

Selected Academic Publications

• Nisbet, E.C. and Kamenchuk, O. (2021). "Russian news media, digital media, informational learned helplessness, and belief in COVID-19 misinformation." International Journal of Public Opinion Research 33 (3), 571-590 Available at: https://academic.oup.com/ijpor/article/33/3/571/6294447
• Hale, H. and Kamenchuk, O. (2020). "Don't Call It a Cold War: Findings from the Russian-American Relations Survey 2019." The Working Group on the Future of U.S.-Russia Relations. Available at https://daviscenter.fas.harvard.edu/events/dont-call-it-cold-war-findings-russian-american-relations-survey
• Nisbet, E.C. and Kamenchuk, O. (2019). "The psychology of state-sponsored disinformation campaigns and implications for the future of public diplomacy." The Hague Journal of Diplomacy. 14(1-2), 65-82
• Nisbet, E.C., Kamenchuk, O., Dal, Aysenur (2017). "A Psychological Firewall? Risk Perceptions and Public Support for Online Censorship in Russia." Social Science Quarterly. 98(3). 958-975

Select Published Essays and Analysis

• Current times: China doesn't want to join a potential looser (2022)
• The Washington Post: Why are Republicans using Putin's talking points? This study helps explain (2019)
• The Conversation: American influence could take the hit as Putin, Zelenskiy try to make peace in Ukraine (2019)
• The Conversation: What Ukrainians think about Trump and his 'quid pro quo' in 3 charts (2019)
• The Conversation: Trump may owe his 2016 victory to 'fake news,' new study suggests (2018)
• The Conversation: After summit Russians like Trump more, Americans less (2018)
• The Conversation: 3 charts explain how Russians see Trump and US (2018)
• Center for Public Diplomacy Blog: Stoic Skepticism: How Russians Anticipate the Trump-Putin Summit (2018)
• The Conversation: Why Russians support Putin's foreign policy (2016)

Select Interviews in the Media

• Lenta.ru: Protests of Black Lives Matter in Europe – explained ( July 30, 2020).
• RIA Novosti: Expert explained reasons for wide support of Black Lives Matter movement in Europe. (July 30, 2020).
• RTVI: Biden is ahead of Trump in electoral polls. Can he win the elections? July 22, 2020
• RTVI: Unrest in the time of pandemic: what can mass protests against quarantine measures lead to? April 16, 2020
• RTVI: What is going on with Trump's impeachment and who benefits from accusing Russians in violation of American sanctions? December 5, 2019
• Voice of America: "Open cards game" and prospects of impeachment (November 19, 2019).
• RTVI: Soft power: how peaceful protests work in US. August 13, 2019
• RTVI: What future awaits united Europe? Live TV discussion. July 6, 2019
• RTVI: "Us vs Them": is there a need to include citizenship question to US census? July 6, 2019

Courses

• Using Data for Making Informed Decisions
• Crisis Communication
• International Strategic Communication
• Marketing Strategies in Creative Industries
• Communication and Culture
• Communication and Conflict Management