Iren Marinova is a PhD Candidate at the Political Science Department. Iren’s research encompasses the study of the European Union and its roles in global politics, as well as topics in security, geopolitics, and Transatlantic relations. She is currently studying the EU’s foreign policy ambitions formation with an emphasis on climate change and security policies. She looks at the external and internal relations that comprise the EU and influence the entity's foreign policy goals.

Iren's teaching portfolio includes classes in International Relations, International Security, and Comparative Politics.

Iren has also been a part of a research team at CSU working on a project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and studying the effects and opportunity costs of US foreign policy on local communities in the United States.

Iren earned her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and her Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Monroe before coming to Colorado. She graduated with her Master’s degree in Political Science from CSU in 2019. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, exploring new places, and spending time with friends and family.