Sofia Zhukova is an Analyst at the Social Urban Rural and Resilience Global Practice, in the Urban and Disaster Risk Management team in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. Her work involves supporting urban development projects across the region, with a focus on competitiveness, local economic development and tourism. She has worked all over the region, including in Russia, Turkey, Cyprus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan. Her background is in finance and business and she holds a Master’s in International Trade from the Basque Country University in Spain. Prior to joining the World Bank, Sofia worked as a liaison officer at the Spanish Embassy in Washington DC and founded a micro enterprise focused on research and innovation in the area of nanotechnology. She is originally from Russia but grew up in Spain.