Bratislava, Slovakia

baskina.com

✉️ sofyabaskin@gmail.com

Google Scholar

Professional Summary

Ethologist and independent researcher with over 20 years of experience in animal behavior science, applied ethology, and animal–computer interaction. I specialize in detailed, responsible, and systematic work on complex interdisciplinary questions involving welfare, behavior, and practical technology use in companion and domestic animals.

Most of my experience has been outside of traditional teams or institutions — I’ve worked online, independently, or in small flexible collaborations. I offer deep focus, intellectual precision, and a broad systems perspective across behavior, genomics, and technical application.

I have hands-on experience with bioinformatic data analysis and exploratory work using partially available or restricted-access datasets, including preprocessed genomic data.

I approach each problem thoroughly and from multiple angles, often identifying patterns and solutions that others overlook. My work is especially valuable when the task requires analytical depth, care, and bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and real-world implementation.

Areas of Expertise

• Applied Ethology & Animal Welfare
• Human–Animal Interactions
• Clinical Behavior Modification
• Animal–Computer Interaction (ACI)
• Wearable and Interactive Technologies for Animals
• Science Communication and Online Education

Academic Background

Ph.D. in Zoology, Russian Academy of Sciences (2005–2010)

Thesis: “Development of Behavioral Interaction Patterns Between Domestic Animals and Humans”

Supervisor: Dr. E. Kruchenkova

M.Sc. in Zoology and Ecology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (1998–2003)

Thesis: “Behavioral Patterns in Horses During Socialization: Influence of Age, Sex, and Individual Traits”

Supervisor: Dr. E. Kruchenkova

Professional Experience

• Founder, School of Applied Ethology (2004–present)
• Developed and delivered online courses on dog behavior (over 1000 students)
• Provided consultations and organized applied research with pet owners
• Built a growing public educational platform in Russian-speaking markets
• Researcher, University of Haifa, Tauber Bioinformatics Research Center (2015–2017)
• Researcher, Department of Behavioral Science, Ariel University, Israel (2014–2015)
• ACI Consultant, Information Systems Dept., University of Haifa (2013–2017)
• Researcher, Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russia (2008–2010)
• Research Assistant, Moscow State University (2005–2008)

Teaching and Outreach

• Lecturer in ACI (Animal-Computer Interactions), University of Haifa (2017, invited)
• Lecturer, “Pet’s Behavior Conference,” Moscow and online (2016–2017)
• Developer and instructor of original online ethology curriculum (since 2012)
• Consultant on detector dog welfare, Gazprom-Yamburg (2012)
• Lecturer for dog trainers and breeders, All-Russian Federation (2004–2007)
• Horse behavior lecturer, Rapsodia Riding Club (2004–2005)

Field and Practical Work

• Wildlife monitoring, tracking, and bird ringing (multiple Russian regions)
• Hand-rearing: Taurotragus oryx, Mustela lutreola (National Reserves’ programs)
• Management of wild-born cattle and bison (Bison bonasus)
• Experimental ethological research in zoos, farms, and private households

Languages

• Russian – Native
• English – IELTS 7.5
• Hebrew – Intermediate (Level Gimel)
• Slovak – Beginner (A1)

 

Full List of Publications – Sofya L. Baskin

Books

Baskina, S. (2022). Let’s Talk with A Dog (in Russian). Moscow: AST.

Baskina, S., & Dubinina, O. (2019). Abandoned Dog Gets New Life: The Manual (in Russian). Moscow: Ridero.

Baskina, S. (2008). What a Horse Thinks and How to Understand It (in Russian). Moscow: Aquarium-Print.

Animal–Computer Interaction (ACI)

French, F., Baskin, S., Gupfinger, R., Webber, S., & Zamansky, A. (2019). ZooJamming: Designing beyond human experience. Proceedings of the International Conference on Game Jams, Hackathons and Game Creation Events, 1–8.

French, F., Baskin, S., Wallace, B., Cheok, A. D., Zamansky, A., & Nannoni, E. (2017). FarmJam: Designing enrichment for farm animals. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Animal–Computer Interaction, 1–6.

Zamansky, A., van der Linden, D., & Baskin, S. (2017). Teaching animal–computer interaction: An experience report. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Animal–Computer Interaction, 1–7.

Zamansky, A., van der Linden, D., Baskin, S., & Kononova, V. (2017). Is my dog “playing” tablet games? Exploring human perceptions of dog–tablet interactions. Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI PLAY ’17), 474–484.

Baskin, S., Anavi-Goffer, S., & Zamansky, A. (2015). Digital game design for canines: Getting to know your user. Workshop on ACI at British HCI Conference, Lincoln, UK.

Baskin, S., Anavi-Goffer, S., & Zamansky, A. (2015). Serious games: Is your user playing or hunting? 14th International Conference on Entertainment Computing, Trondheim, Norway.

Ethology, Animal Behavior & Human–Animal Interaction

Baskina, S. (2015). Sociobiology of dog–human communication. In Proceedings of the VI International Scientific Conference “Sociology, Geography and Sociobiology in Development of Rural Communities in Russia” (pp. 19–20). (in Russian)

Chikurova, E. A., & Baskina, S. L. (2012). Demonstration of aggression and submission in calves during handling depending on age. In Proceedings of the International Conference “Biology – the Science of XXI Century” (pp. 1023–1025). MAKS Press. (in Russian)

Chikurova, E. A., & Baskina, S. (2012). Stimulation of different parts of the calf’s body as cue stimuli for aggressive reactions. In Actual Problems of Ecology and Evolution in the Research of Young Scientists (pp. 55). IEEP RAS. (in Russian)

Kruchenkova, E., & Baskina, S. (2012). The laws of behavioral interactions: Regulation of the partner’s activity in a stable dyad. 5th Animal Behavior Conference. (in Russian)

Baskina, S., & Kruchenkova, E. (2009). Staring into the owner’s face: Dog–human interactions during training sessions. MOIP Journal, 114(2), 13–19. (in Russian)

Baskina, S. (2009). Attention of the dog and the owner to each other during training. In Proceedings of the 2nd Scientific Conference “Behavior and Behavioral Ecology of Mammals” (p. 101). Moscow. (in Russian)

Baskina, S., & Kruchenkova, E. (2007). What do dog owners really do with their pets in a dog school? A new ethogram. In Abstracts of the IV All-Russian Conference on Animal Behavior (p. 489). Moscow. (in Russian)

Baskina, S. (2005). Reintroduction of Przewalski’s horse in Mongolia. In Proceedings of the 75th Anniversary of the Institute of Horse Breeding (pp. 281–289). Ryazan. (in Russian)

Baskina, S. (2004). Age and gender behavioral differences in Orlov foals. In Proceedings of the 38th International Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE). Finland.

Baskina, S. (2004). Individual, age and sex differences in foal behavior. In Proceedings of the Conference “Biotechnology for Preservation of the Environment”, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (p. 17). (in Russian)

Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics

Titievsky, A., Putintseva, Y. A., Taranenko, E. A., Baskin, S., Oreshkova, N. V., Brodsky, E., Sharova, A. V., Sharov, V. V., Panov, J., Kuzmin, D. A., Brodsky, L., & Krutovsky, K. V. (2021). Comparative genomics analysis of repetitive elements in ten gymnosperm species: “Dark repeatome” and its abundance in conifer and Gnetum species. Life, 11(11), 1234.

Zamansky, A., van der Linden, D., & Baskin, S. (2017). Pushing boundaries of RE: Requirement elicitation for non-human users. 25th IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference, Lisbon, Portugal.

Titievsky, A., Baskin, S., Ostretsov, B., Farkov, M., Putintseva, Y. A., Nikitin, V., Ioffe, Y., Oreshkova, N. V., Panov, J., Kuzmin, D. A., Krutovsky, K. V., & Brodsky, L. (2016). Unsupervised analysis of genomic repeats in gymnosperm and angiosperm species. The Israeli Bioinformatics Symposium, 29–30.

Ostretsov, B., Baskin, S., Titievsky, A., Panov, J., & Brodsky, L. (2016). Repeatome in genomes of insects: Does lateral transfer of repeats/transposons exist between blood-feeding insects and mammals? The Israeli Bioinformatics Symposium, 68–69.

Baskina, S., Zaitsev, A., Maligin, V., Udina, I., & Hrabrova, L. (2003). Phylogenetic relationships of Russian native horse breeds as determined by RAPD-PCR markers. In Proceedings of the International Conference “Mammalian Fauna of Russia and Nearby Countries”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Theriological Society, RFBS, IE&E (pp. 33–34). (in Russian)