Dmitry B. Oreshkin

Candidate of Geographical Sciences, yaster@list.ru

Born in 1953 in Moscow, he graduated from the MSU Faculty of Geography in 1975, receiving a Candidate of Geographical Sciences degree in 1979. Since 1975, he has been working at the Institute of Geography of the Soviet Union Academy of Sciences (now RAS) as junior/senior/leading research fellow, head of Merkator laboratory, now occupying a position of chief specialist. Since 1993, he has been involved in the study of electoral geography and statistics. Between 1995 and 2007, his laboratory was working with the CEC of Russia to provide cartographic representation and interpretation of GAS Vybory data as well as publish issues of Electoral Statistics, a journal authored by the CEC. Between 2009 and 2012, he served as a member of Presidential Council for Human Rights, heading an electoral rights group. In 2012, he and a number of colleagues left the Council in protest against electoral fraud leniency. He is the author of many papers and several books, winner of several literary awards.