CV
Academic Education
PhD in Political Science, JLU Giessen, January 2025: Civil Society within Authoritarian Regimes. A Case for Positive Theorising. 2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-19443
MA in Political Science, European Politics and Policy-Making Pathway, The University of Manchester (UoM), 2011.
Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, The Academy of Public Administration (Baku), 2010.
Research Experience
Research Fellow (Postdoc, 100%), 01 May – 31 December 2025, REDEMOS: Reconfiguring EU Democracy Support, a Horizon project funded by the European Union. Chair of Comparative Politics (Prof. Dr Marianne Kneuer), Technical University of Dresden
Research Fellow (Doctoral Candidate, 50%), 15 December 2021 – 14 December 2024, Understanding Eurasian Regionalism – Actorness and Interaction in Economy and Security, funded by German Research Foundation (DFG), implemented by the Chair of International Integration (Prof. Dr Andrea Gawrich), Institute of Political Science, JLU Giessen. Major research activities:
Research Fellow (20%), 01 October 2022 – 31 December 2024, SHAPEDEM-EU: Rethinking and Reshaping the EU’s Democracy Support in Its Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods, a Horizon project funded by the European Union, implemented by the Chair of International Integration (Prof. Dr Andrea Gawrich), Institute of Political Science, JLU Giessen.
Work Experience
January 2016 – November 2017, Country Program Director, Caucasus Research Resource Centre (CRRC), Azerbaijan.
September 2014 – January 2016, Program Coordinator, Eurasia Partnership Foundation, Azerbaijan (sister organisation of the Washington D.C.-based Eurasia Foundation).
November 2012 - January 2014, Programme Coordinator, Oxfam Great Britain in Azerbaijan.
15 years of experience as an independent research consultant on post-Soviet Eurasia. Prominent clients included, among others, German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Political Risk Management (PRISM) London, the International Crisis Group (ICG), Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), NIRAS (Denmark), US Embassy in Azerbaijan, and Ansohn Consulting.
Awards
DAAD PhD scholarship for 2019, 2020, 2021
Open Society Foundation Civil Society Scholar Award 2016, 2017
Languages
English, Turkish, Russian, German (upper inter.), Azerbaijani (native)