Our Fellows

Spring 2023

EUCAM Research Fellow

Adina Masalbekova

I am Adina Masalbekova, an independent researcher from Kyrgyzstan. I hold a MA in Political Theory from the East China Normal University in Shanghai. I am currently a Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, where my research focuses on evaluating the impacts of China’s cultural diplomacy via higher education in Kyrgyzstan, through the perspective of employment, understanding and perception of current Chinese politics. Previously, I worked with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, the Australian National University, and Global Partners Governance. I have been involved in research projects such as China’s health diplomacy in the Global South; the growing presence of China in post-Soviet Central Asia; and Islamisation in Kyrgyzstan. At EUCAM, I will focus on EU higher education policies in relation to Kyrgyzstan.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Khudonazar Imomyorbekov

I am a researcher from Tajikistan focussing on sustainable development and forward-looking societies in Central Asia. I graduated from the University of Central Asia (Khorog, Tajikistan and Naryn, Kyrgyzstan campuses) majoring in Earth and Environmental Sciences. I have been actively involved in different NGO’s that do empirical field research about Gorno-Badakhshan (GBAO) conducted by the Freie University of Berlin and University of Central Asia. I was also engaged with the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat on issues of environment and disasters in remote mountainous areas; and the US Agency for International Development where I conducted field research. My main research interests at EUCAM relate to EU policies based on sustainable development, nation building, civil society, and environment in Central Asia.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Alouddin Komilov

I am Alouddin Komilov from Uzbekistan. I am currently affiliated with the Institute for Advanced International Studies and the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) in Tashkent, where I write policy briefs and analytical contributions and teach undergraduate students. I obtained my BA from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Tashkent and MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science. In my current research, I mostly focus on European Studies and EU-Central Asian relations. Recently, I published in the Diplomat and the National Interest about growing European engagement in Central Asia and about French President Macron’s domestic politics. At EUCAM, I plan to explore EU cooperation with Central Asia in the domain of digital transformation.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Shyngys Zipatolla

My name is Shyngys Zipatolla, a researcher from Kazakhstan. I studied International Relations at the Eurasian National University in Astana and hold a MSc in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies from Glasgow University. I currently work as a lecturer at Karaganda Buketov University in Kazakhstan. I also was a Coordinator of the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) and the Regional Conference of Youth (RCOY), which were held as part of the youth corps of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. My current research interests lie in how climate change affects Central Asia. At EUCAM I will focus on European Union-Central Asia relations with a view to climate, energy and water management cooperation.

Fall 2022

EUCAM Research Fellow

Kamila Smagulova

My name is Kamila Smagulova. I am a researcher from Kazakhstan. I hold an MA in Public Policy and BA in political science/international relations from Nazarbayev University. I currently work as a researcher and program coordinator at PaperLab Public Policy Research Centre based in Astana. Recently, I also was a non-resident fellow at the Eurasia Lab Program of the Institute of European Politics in Berlin, where I, together with PaperLab colleagues, conducted research on civic activism during the covid pandemic in Kazakhstan. As an author for the Central Asian Bureau for Analytical Reporting (Cabar), I was able to do a summer fellowship at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation) where I studied the prospects of intra-regional cooperation between Central Asia and South Caucasus. My current research interests evolve around national identity of youth and the relationship between civic nationhood and political culture in Kazakhstan. At EUCAM I will focus on these matters with specific attention to the role of minorities in Kazakhstan.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Nigora Fazliddin

My name is Nigora Fazliddin. I hold a MA degree in international journalism from Tajik University. While I began my career in print media, after interning in the United States, I transitioned from print media to multimedia. I work as a multimedia journalist and documentarian with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tajik service known as Radio Ozodi in Dushanbe. I primarily focus on poverty, vulnerable communities such as women, children, refugees and labour migrants. One of my more recent investigative reports detailed the life and activities of a Tajik national who was appointed by the Taliban to be in charge of five Afghan provinces bordering with Tajikistan. Not only did this report receive an award as the best report among the 27 different services of Radio Liberty, but it also was republished by leading international media, including CNN, VOA, Reuters, France Press. At EUCAM, I seek to strengthen my research skills by looking through a think tank lens at the topics of my interest as a journalist. My current research focus is on migration of young people from Central Asia to Europe.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Aigerim Kamidola

My name is Aigerim Kamidola. I am an independent consultant in international human rights law. My expertise lies in grassroots advocacy work at national and international levels. Among the recent notable results of these efforts are the repeal of the legal ban on employment of women in over 200 occupations in 2021; withdrawal of the so-called ‘Anti-Gender’ Bill in the Parliament in 2020; repeal of the discriminatory by-laws on so-called ‘gay propaganda’ in 2019; co-developing a sexuality education platform for teenagers in 2021; and provision of legal support on discrimination, freedom of assembly and association cases. I am a graduate of the Edinburgh Law School and was a Visiting Scholar at the Columbia University Institute for the Study of Human Rights in 2020-2021. My master’s degree is in international human rights policy and practice from the Pedro Arrupe Human Rights Institute, the University of Gothenburg, and the University of Roehampton. At EUCAM my research interest lies in the field of gender studies and civic engagement.

Spring 2021

EUCAM Research Fellow

Nadezhda Tatkalo

My name is Nadezhda Tatkalo. I hold a MA in Political Science from the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University. In 2019, I graduated from the OSCE Academy in Bishkek with an MA in Politics and Security. My work experience encompasses nine years of analytical and research activities at the Institute for Strategic Analysis and Prognosis at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University, where I currently conduct research on the influence of external actors in Central Asia. Apart from the Institute’s thematic analyses, my research interests include democratic reform in Kyrgyzstan, including the informal political mechanisms that counter democratisation.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Viktoriya Nem

My name is Viktoriya Nem, I am a researcher from Kazakhstan. I hold a MA in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at National University of Singapore and a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Nazarbayev University. Currently I work as a researcher and project coordinator at PaperLab, a public policy research centre based in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan. My research interests lie in public policy, education, gender equality, sustainable development.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Gulzada Rysbekova

My name is Gulzada Rysbekova. I am from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. I studied International Relations at the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. Over the past year, I have been involved in different projects related to civic education and independent election observation in Kyrgyzstan with the purpose of encouraging citizens to be involved in governance processes. With the Central Asian media platform Cabar Asia, I recently published an article on the radicalization of feminism in Kyrgystan. My interests lie in the field of political philosophy and international security.

Fall 2020

EUCAM Research Fellow

Begimai Bekbolotova

Begimai Bekbolotova

My name is Begimai Bekbolotova. I am originally from Osh and now living in Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. I studied history in Osh State University and now work in the fields of civil society, communications, peacebuilding cooperation, and civil activism. Currently, I am the PR Supervisor of the Foundation for Tolerance International (FTI). I am also the Regional Liaison Officer for the Central Asian secretariat of the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC).

EUCAM Research Fellow

Irina Kulikova

My name is Irina Kulikova. I am a graduate of the Politics and Security Programme at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek and I have an LL.B. in Law from KIMEP University in Almaty. I also did a one-year exchange programme at the University of Ferrara in Italy and am an alumna of the US Department of State SUSI Women’s Leadership Program in Washington State. I worked at the OSCE-ODIHR in Warsaw, Poland, and have been involved in various research projects over the past few years, including the analysis of foreign policy directions in the East European and Central Asian regions. Prior to that, I worked as a paralegal at the Kazakhstani law firms.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Aizhan Erisheva

My name is Aizhan Erisheva, and I am from Kyrgyzstan. Over the last few years I have been active in project development and management. I have implemented various development projects, purposed to increase civic engagement, to reduce poverty, to enhance employability, and to protect socio-economic rights of vulnerable groups. Additionally, I lecture on International Trade and World Economy.

Fall 2019

EUCAM Research Fellow

Muslimbek Buriyev

I am Muslimbek Buriev, an independent researcher from Tajikistan. I obtained my MA degree in politics and Security at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. I am currently affiliated with the Central Asian media-platform CABAR.Asia where I write policy briefs and analytical contributions. In my research, that is mostly policy-oriented, I seek to address policymakers in Central Asia, and especially Tajikistan, with ideas an insight on regional and security policy.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Bermet Zhumakadyr kyzy

Hi, my name is Bermet Zhumakadyr kyzy, and I am from Kyrgyzstan. I graduated from the American University of Central Asia. My academic background is in politics with a focus on poverty reduction. I have worked for several organisations in and outside Central Asia such as Human Rights Watch and GIZ. Over the past year I have been pivoting towards the field of computer programming in seeking to connect technical and social sciences knowledge.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Jipariza Jumagazieva

I am Jipariza Jumagazieva a human rights lawyer from Kyrgyzstan. I work at the Public Foundation “Legal Clinic “Adilet”, where we cooperate with national and international partners on the implementation of legal and human right related projects. The main focus of my work is providing access to justice for vulnerable groups in Kyrgyzstan. I have graduated from Kyrgyz State Law Academy in the field of public international law.

Spring 2019

EUCAM Research Fellow

EUCAM Fellow Aizada Kadyrova

Aizada Kadyrova

My name is Aizada Kadyrova. I have a work experience with the Embassy of Switzerland in Kyrgyzstan and EU Central Asia Drug Action Programme (CADAP 6) implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

EUCAM Research Fellow

EUCAM Fellow Asiya Kuzembayeva

Asiya Kuzembayeva

My name is Assiya Kuzembayeva. I’ve been working at International Relations Department of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University since 2006; graduated from the same university; and now act as an associate professor.

EUCAM Research Fellow

EUCAM Fellow Khurshid Zafari

Khurshid Zafari

My name is Khurshid Zafari. I have over 10 years of experience in research and analytical work in various organisations in Uzbekistan. A substantial part of this experience I gained at DGP Research and Consulting, where I have worked on projects with private companies, international organisations and government agencies.

Fall 2018

EUCAM Research Fellow

Sabrinisso Valdosh

My name is Sabrinisso Valdosh and I am from Tajikistan. I have more than five year experience as a commercial account manager in Amadeus which is a market leader in IT solutions for Central Asia’s travel industry’s. In my work I am involved in the cycle of sales, delivery and customer support.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Anastasiya Ten

My name is Anastasiya Ten and I am from Tajikistan. I have a MA degree in Comparative Local Development from the consortium of Corvinus University Budapest, the University of Regensburg and the University of Trento and a BA in Diplomacy and International Studies from the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea. During my studies, I have focussed mostly on socio-economic and political development trends in Asia. In my MA thesis, I worked on external labour migration in Tajikistan.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Gulnura Chekirova

My name is Gulnura Chekirova. I am a researcher-analyst from Kyrgyzstan. I am currently doing a MA in big data and machine learning in economics and finance at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and I work at BizExpert; an economic think tank in Bishkek. I have over 4 years’ experience in public private dialogue and trade in Kyrgyzstan.

Spring 2018

EUCAM Research Fellow

Nushofarin Noziri

My name is Nushofarin Noziri. I am from Tajikistan, working at the International Organization for Migration (IOM). In 2013, I graduated from the Herbert H. Lehman College in New York in Business Administration with a specialization in finance. In 2016, I earned my Masters in Gender and International Relations from the University of Bristol as a Chevening scholar, sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In 2014, I joined the Migrant Assistance Unit of IOM. Prior to that, I interned for Congressman Engel, and worked for American Councils (ACCELS) in Tajikistan. Now, in my work with IOM I focus on labour migration, countering human trafficking and preventing violent extremism.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Sevara Khamidova

My name is Sevara Khamidova. I am a researcher from Uzbekistan. Throughout the years I have been working in different social projects focused on community development, civil society and gender issues in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. My academic background is in social and policy oriented research. I graduated from Lancaster University obtaining my Master’s degree in Media, Culture and Society, and completed an Executive Masters in Development Policies and Practices – Central Asia at the Graduate Institute of International and Development studies, Geneva.

EUCAM Research Fellow

Sergey Marinin

My name is Sergey Marinin. I am an independent researcher from Kazakhstan. Most of my career so far has been connected to the OSCE broader network: I graduated from the OSCE Academy in Bishkek with a Master’s degree in Politics and Security in Central Asia. I worked with OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation missions in Kazakhstan. I was also a Research Fellow at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Secretariat in Copenhagen working on election observation and human rights issues in Central Asia and Eastern Partnership countries. Prior to that, I worked for Kazakhstan’s Human Rights Commissioner’s Office as a consultant on National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) dealing with problems of ill-treatment and torture.