- The Republic of Latvia is a small (2 million habitants) and open economy with deep links to the European Union, and still significant connections to some countries in the CIS region.
- Although the 2007-2010 financial crisis had a major adverse effect on Latvia, exposing its external vulnerabilities, the country has managed one of the most successful macroeconomic adjustment programmes in recent history, registering a quick and consistent economic recovery with admirable resolve in fiscal policy and rapid labour market adjustment. After a deep contraction, average growth of more than 3-4 % annually since 2011 has been significantly above the EU average.
ESUO REPRESENTATIVE
Alexei Kuzmin
University of Latvia
Institute of Solid State Physics
Riga, Latvia
PROFILE
Alexei Kuzmin graduated the University of Latvia in 1990 and was awarded a Ph.D. in Physics in 1992 on the study of 4d and 5d transition metals oxide compounds by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. In 1993 he attended the Higher European Research Course for Users of Large Experimental Systems “HERCULES-1993” in Grenoble. From 1991 till 2010 he was periodically working as a visiting researcher at the University of Trento and Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies (IFN) of National Research Council (CNR) in Trento on the topics of X-ray absorption spectroscopy of crystalline and disordered materials. During 2000-2019 he implemented more than 40 research projects at the European synchrotron radiation facilities (PETRA-III/DORIS, SOLEIL, ELETTRA, ESRF, ALBA, DAFNE). In 2016 he was elected as a full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. From 2012 he serves as a member of the expert committee at Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna) and from 2019 as a member of the Project Review Panel “X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAFS)” for PETRA III at DESY (Hamburg). Currently, he is a Head of the EXAFS Spectroscopy Laboratory (EXAFS Lab) at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia and an expert of the Latvian Council of Science.
USER REPRESENTATION – LSRS
The Latvian Synchrotron Radiation Society (LSRS) was founded in 1997 at the initiative group meeting at the Institute of Solid State Physics and unites Latvian researchers having common interests in the use of synchrotron radiation facilities.