Svetlana Surikova holds a doctoral degree in pedagogy (Dr. paed.) and is a leading researcher at the Scientific Institute of Pedagogy of the Faculty of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Latvia. She has extensive experience in educational research, particularly in the areas of adult learning, professional competence development, and character education. Her recent work has focused on evidence-based approaches to the professional growth of teachers and low-skilled employees, as well as the transfer of professional development outcomes into educational practice. She has co-authored more than 130 scientific publications, including articles in international peer-reviewed journals indexed in Scopus and the Web of Science. She has led and participated in numerous national and international research projects funded by the Latvian Council of Science, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the European Union. She is recognised as an expert in the social sciences (education sciences) by the Latvian Council of Science.