She teaches Chinese economic policy and international relations, and is working on her PhD dissertation on Chinese foreign aid. Her research interests include the political ideology of the Communist Party and China’s relations with Central Asia. Prior to joining Heidelberg University, Marina was a program manager for the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Beijing where she was responsible for a multi-country program on regional economic cooperation between China and Central and East-Asian transition economies, and in Bishkek on regional economic cooperation in Central Asia. She studied at Heidelberg University and Shanghai International Studies University and holds an MA from Heidelberg in Modern and Classical Chinese Studies and Public Law. She is fluent in Russian, German, Chinese and English and has been a scholar of China since 2001.