Nadiezhda Kizenko American researcher, historian, professor Date of Birth: 01.01.1961 Country: USA

1. Early Life and Education
2. Academic and Research Career
3. University of Albany
4. Publications and Recognition
5. Languages and Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Larissa Vladimirovna Koutzenko was born into a family of displaced persons who relocated to the United States from Germany after World War II. In 1982, she graduated magna cum laude with an A.B. in Literature and History from Harvard University, where she wrote her thesis on "Representations of the Optina Pustyn' Monastery in Late Imperial Russian Literature and Religious Thought" under the supervision of Beth Holmgren.

Academic and Research Career

After working as a junior editor at St. Martin's Press in 1985-1986, Koutzenko returned to academia. In 1991, she earned an M.A. in Russian from Columbia University, where she studied "The Problem of Continuity in the Works of Sergei Eisenstein" under Leopold Haimson. In 1995, she completed her Ph.D. in History from Columbia University with a dissertation titled "The Making of a Modern Saint: Ioann of Kronstadt and the Russian People, 1855-1917," supervised by Richard Wortman.

University of Albany

Since 1994, Koutzenko has held various positions at the University at Albany, SUNY. She was an assistant professor from 1994-2000, an associate professor from 2000-2016, and has been a full professor since January 2017. In May 2016, she became chair of the Department of History in the College of Arts and Sciences, where she primarily teaches Russian history.

Publications and Recognition

Koutzenko is the author of the award-winning book "A Prodigal Saint: Father John of Kronstadt and the Russian People" (2000), which earned her the Heldt Prize. Her research has also been supported by grants and fellowships, including a student fellowship from the Congress of Russian Americans.

Languages and Personal Life

Koutzenko is proficient in multiple languages, including Russian, Church Slavonic, Ukrainian, Belarusian, French, Italian, and German. She is married to Vladimir Frugé and resides in the United States.