CONFERENCE
Prof. Signe Bāliņa
Professor Signe Bāliņa serves as the head of the IT Competence Centre and has extensive experience in public administration. She has previously held the position of Minister for Special Assignments for Electronic Government Affairs and currently serves as the President of the Latvian Information and Communications Technology Association. She has also been active in business, holding the position of Chair of the Management Board of AS “Datorzinību centrs”.
Professor Signe Bāliņa has unique experience in the implementation of state-funded research projects and programmes, as well as in managing international projects, including those supported by the European Commission.
Prof. Mihails Hazans
The professor conducts research and provides expert services to national institutions and international organizations (European Commission, the World Bank, the OECD, the International Labour Organization, among others) in the fields of labour economics, labour markets and social policy, migration, the economics of education, and related areas. For his research on migration, Mihails Hazans received the Spīdola Prize in Economics in 2011, and in 2012 his work was included in the Top 10 achievements of Latvian science.
He serves as an expert for the Latvian Council of Science, is a member of the Economics Promotion Council at UL, a member of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Economics and Management at FESS, an associate researcher at the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA, Bonn), and an associate researcher at the Global Labor Organization.
Prof. Sandra Jēkabsone
Prof. S. Jēkabsone’s academic interests are related to macroeconomics and economic policy, as well as the challenges of Latvia’s economic development, including investment, the labour market, national structural policy, and other areas. She has extensive experience in the work of the Latvian Council of Science and in conducting research commissioned by national institutions, as well as participation in international cooperation projects.
She is the author of more than 30 publications (including in international peer-reviewed journals) and one monograph, as well as the video lecture course Practical Macroeconomics (within the framework of the LU Open project).
Prof. Juris Krūmiņš
Doctor of Science in Economics (Statistics and Demography). Full Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LAS) and Expert in Demography at the Latvian Council of Science. Member of the Latvian Statistics Council. Board Member of the Latvian Statistical Association and the Latvian Association of University Professors. Member of IUSSP and EAPS. Expert of Population Europe.
Has held visiting professorships and research positions in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, and Sweden. Participates in Latvian and international research projects as well as in the evaluation of higher education programmes in the social sciences. Laureate of the LAS K. Balodis and M. Skujenieks Awards.
Prof. Jānis Priede
Prof. Jānis Priede holds a doctoral degree in economics. In his work, he combines academic knowledge with extensive international experience and perspective. He has completed traineeships at numerous foreign universities, including Columbia University (USA), Fulda University of Applied Sciences (Germany), the University of Iceland (Iceland), the Warsaw School of Economics (Poland), the University of Aveiro (Portugal), as well as at neighboring institutions such as the University of Tartu (Estonia) and Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania), among others. As a leading researcher, he participates in various research projects and is the author of international scientific publications. With great enthusiasm, he delivers lectures to students on industrial economics and behavioral economics. In 2016, he was awarded the "Professor of the Year" prize by the University of Latvia Student Council.
Prof. Margarita Dunska
Margarita Dunska's academic interests are economics, international economics, and finance. For many years, she has been one of the leading experts in these fields, including serving as an expert at the Academic Information Centre and participating in the accreditation of various programs at other universities. She also has extensive experience in administrative work within higher education. In recent years, she has been the director of FESS’s largest programs in terms of student numbers, overseeing the Bachelor's and Master's programs in Business Administration.
Prof. Baiba Šavriņa
The professor is the director of two study programmes – the professional master’s programme International Business, which was among the first of its kind in Latvia, and the doctoral study module Global Management and Leadership for international students. She holds a PhD in Economics obtained in France and has extensive international experience as a participant in numerous international research projects. The professor regularly delivers lecture series at universities abroad.
Prof. Inna Šteinbuka
The professor is the Chair of the Fiscal Discipline Council of Latvia and an advisor to European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis. From 2011 to 2018, she headed the European Commission Representation in Latvia. She has worked at the European Commission since 2005, serving as Director of both the Economic and Regional Statistics Directorate and the Social and Information Society Statistics Directorate at Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office. Previously, I. Šteinbuka led the Public Utilities Commission of Latvia, which regulates the electricity, gas, and telecommunications markets, as well as railway and postal services. From 1999 to 2001, she was Senior Advisor to the Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C. Professor Šteinbuka is a full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. She earned her PhD in Economics at Saint Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance. Her research interests include competitiveness, productivity, taxation, budgetary issues, and fiscal policy.
Prof. Ērika Šumilo
The professor's academic interests focus on international economics, innovation, social capital, and organizational culture. She is Chair of the Doctoral Promotion Council in Management Science and Demography. E. Šumilo has extensive international experience in research and academic work, as well as in leading international projects. As a Fulbright Scholar, she conducted research at Georgetown University (USA) and has coordinated projects in collaboration with scholars and faculty from Dalhousie University (Canada), the University of Turku (Finland), the University of Tartu (Estonia), and other higher education institutions.
Assoc. prof. Oļegs Krasnopjorovs
O. Krasnopjorovs has more than 15 years of professional experience at the Bank of Latvia in the field of macroeconomic analysis and research. At the Bank of Latvia, he contributed to the development of national macroeconomic forecasts, participated in European Central Bank expert groups, engaged in negotiations with international institutions (including the International Monetary Fund and international credit rating agencies), and co-authored the Bank of Latvia’s inflation forecasting model. His research interests include econometrics and macroeconomics, with a particular focus on economic growth and productivity, labor markets, and the economics of happiness. He is the author of more than 200 opinion articles, a frequent participant in conferences and public discussions, and a regular contributor to media interviews. O. Krasnopjorovs also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Association of Econometricians.
Assoc. prof. Silvija Kristapsone
The associate professor's academic interests focus on mathematical, general, and applied statistics, demography, computerized data processing methods, and research methodology. She is the author and co-author of several textbooks. Her research interests include statistical theory and the statistical analysis of socio-economic processes.
Assoc. prof. Uldis Rozevskis
The associate professor's academic interests focus on the use of modern information technologies in business, e-business, e-commerce, as well as business process modeling, simulation, and analysis. Uldis Rozevskis also has practical experience in developing information systems for large organizations.
Assoc. prof. Ilona Baumane-Vītoliņa
The associate professor's academic interests focus on organizational theory, social capital, social network analysis, and innovation ecosystems, as well as ethics and misconduct in organizations. She is a member of the International Society for the Study of Work and Organizational Values (ISSWOV) and serves as Chair of its Scientific Committee. In addition, Ilona Baumane-Vītoliņa leads a project under the “Growth and Employment” operational programme, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, entitled Opportunities for Building Effective Innovation Ecosystems in the Baltic States, in collaboration with the State Education Development Agency, supporting postdoctoral research.
Assoc. prof. Ilze Medne
The associate professor's academic interests focus on international economics and business, as well as tourism marketing. I. Medne has contributed to the development of the Latvian Tourism Offer Action Plan within the Interreg Europe project BRANDTour, conducted studies on tourist consumer behavior and satisfaction in Riga and Jurmala, and organized research on Latvia’s destination recognition and perception in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Italy. As a senior researcher, she has participated in projects such as Higher Professional Education to Promote Growth in the Tourism Business (BOOSTED) and Professional Competence Development in the Wellness and SPA Tourism Sector (WeSkill).