Dr. Klimanova is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, and an affiliated faculty member at the Graduate Programs in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching, and Human Rights Practice (SBS). A specialist in applied linguistics and digital studies by training, Dr. Klimanova has taught at the University of Arizona since 2017. She has an MA degree in foreign language education and a doctoral degree in language acquisition and technology from the University of Iowa. She has always been passionate about teaching and mentoring and sought creative and impactful ways of delivering learning content to her students. Her research is closely tied to her teaching and focuses on the use of humanistic digital pedagogies and project-oriented approaches in language teaching and learning. Dr. Klimanova is editor of Identity, Multiculturalism, and CALL (computer-assisted language learning) (2022). She is the recipient of the 2015 National ACTFL/MLJ Emma Marie Birkmeier Award for Best Doctoral Dissertation Research in Language Education, and the 2022 Dorothy Chun Award for Best Article in Language Learning & Technology Journal.

In addition to her research in digital studies, Dr. Klimanova participates in an international research consortium that investigates marginalization and underrepresentation in international virtual education. This international initiative is funded through Stevens Initiative/the Aspen Institute. Dr. Klimanova’s area of expertise is Central Asia. She also coordinates the Borderlands Network for connecting educators in the United States and Central Asian universities for educational virtual exchange. She serves on the boards of two national organizations – AAUSC (American Association of University Supervisors, Coordinators, and Directors of Language Programs, 2016-2022) and Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO, 2020-2023). At UA, Dr. Klimanova teaches courses on sociolinguistics and digital studies, teaching methodology, and the Russian language. She coordinates the UA Russian Language Program and supervises undergraduate and graduate Russian teaching internships in Tucson secondary schools. Dr. Klimanova is also Director of Arizona-in-Kazakhstan, a study abroad program in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.