OUR TEAM
Dr. Gulzat Botoeva
Gulzat is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Swansea University. She received her Ph.D. and MA in Sociological Research Methods from University of Essex. Her research is focused on various illegal economic activities in the Eurasian region. Dr. Botoeva is interested in studying illegal and informal economies (crypto-mining, small-scale gold mining, small-scale hashish production) in a post-Soviet context, primarily through qualitative research methods and ethnographies of crime. She has published in Theoretical Criminology, The International Journal of Drug Policy, and Central Asian Survey.
Dr. Assel Tutumlu
Assel is an Associate Professor in Political Science at Near East University, Northern Cyprus. She received her Ph.D. in Global Affairs from Rutgers, State University of New Jersey (USA) and two MA degrees in Politics from the New School for Social Research (New York, USA) and International Affairs (American University, USA). Her research explores the nature of authoritarian regimes in Central Asia and beyond, particularly looking into the discursive and disciplinary practices. She appeared on Al-Jazeera, BBC, TRTWorld, and France24. Her work was published in Europe-Asia Studies, Central Asian Survey, Security Journal, Journal of Eurasian Studies, Problems of Post-Communism.
Hikoyat Salimova
Hikoyat Salimova is a PhD Candidate in Urban Studies, HafenCity University Hamburg. She holds MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University and BSc in Economics/Education from Bukhara Technological Institute. She worked in different academic and research projects in the capacity of national consultant, project manager, and project assistant. Hikoyat Salimova’s research interests include urbanism, community development, social and economic activities in public spaces. Her publications include book chapters in People’s Spaces: Coping, Familiarizing, Creating, and Eurasia Twenty Years After, articles in journals Critical Housing Analysis, Ketmen, and conference papers.
Dr. Sofya du Boulay
Sofya has a PhD in Political Science from Oxford Brookes University and an MA in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute of Geneva. She worked as a political consultant for various international organisations, including the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Global Voices, and the University of Swansea. Her publications featured in Problems of Post-Communism, Ketmen, and Communist and Post-Communist Studies.
​"I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of the enthusiastic research community from Central Asia. The USTA Program was instrumental in my PhD completion, offering a safe space that fostered rigorous academic discussions, individual mentorship, and collective support."
DR. BOTAKOZ KASSYMBEKOVA
Botakoz is a Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Modern History with a specialization in Soviet history, Stalinism, post-Stalinism and Russian imperial history. She holds a Ph.D. from the Humboldt Universität Berlin, a M.A. from the University of Essex and a B.A. from the American University of Central Asia. She held post-doctoral positions at the Technical University Berlin and the John Moores Liverpool University. Her first book “Despite Cultures. Early Soviet Rule in Tajikistan” (Pittsburgh University Press, 2016) traces Soviet imperial strategies in Central Asia. Her current research project investigates the post-Stalinist Soviet Union and analyzes how Soviet citizens (un)processed Stalinism in their later lives.
