Sashenka holds an M. Sc. in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Oxford where she studied as an Open Society Foundation Scholar. She previously completed her B. A. in Political Science at the University of Tirana and her B. A. in International Relations at the European University of Tirana. After completing her studies, she joined the Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) as a Think Tank Fund Fellow through the Think Tank Young Professional Development Program for MA and PhD Graduates 2013-2014. During this period she has been working on the Western Balkans’ EU accession process as well as on Albanian citizens’ perceptions about domestic and regional issues.
Sashenka’s research interests are mainly related to post-communist transition and nationalism, ontological security, political discourse and identity. She is currently exploring the effects of territorial disintegrity on state’s identity and plans to develop a comparative analysis on the Balkans and the South Caucasus.
