Kristian Behrens serves as Leading Research Fellow at the HSE Centre for Market Studies and Spatial Economics (CMSSE) and Academic Supervisor at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Basic Research at HSE St. Petersburg. Professor Behrens focuses primarily on regional and urban economics, new economic geography, international and interregional trade, multiregional spatial and urban systems, and monopolistic competition. He recently spoke with the HSE New Service about the work currently being undertaken by CMSSE, his broader research interests, and his impressions of working in St. Petersburg.