I am an Assistant Professor in Political Science at the University of Kansas. I am also a research affiliate at New York University's Center for Social Media and Politics. I earned my Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2022, and I was a Postdoctoral Scholar in Russian Politics at Columbia University from 2022 to 2024.

My book manuscript, Rethinking Propaganda: How Authoritarian Media Cultivate Loyal Audiences, sheds light on a new model of authoritarian propaganda, employed by popular autocrats such as Vladimir Putin in Russia, that borrows methods and tactics from partisan media outlets to engage with audiences and maintain their trust.

In other work, I study the effectiveness of propaganda tactics, the spread of Russian narratives in democracies like the U.S., and interventions prompting citizens to treat biased messaging critically and seek diverse information sources. This research agenda aligns with my long-standing research focus on Russian and post-communist politics.

My research has been published in American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Political Communication, Sociological Methods & Research, the Quarterly Journal of Political Science, Problems of Post-Communism, the Journal of Legislative Studies, and East European Politics and Societies. See my recent policy memo for PONARS Eurasia.

My analysis and commentary have also appeared in The Washington Post, on PBS NewsHour, in The Financial Times, Newsweek, HuffingtonPost, USA Today, Politifact, Euronews, and other major media outlets.

Before graduate school, I worked as a journalist and an editor in Russian independent media, covering politics and technology.

You can contact me at shirikov@ku.edu or follow me on X and Google Scholar.