Updated 15 February 2019
Almyrza Nogoibayev
Renowned Kazakh musician and composer, Almyrza Nogoibayev has been awarded the prestigious Order of Kurmet and the title of Honorary Worker of Culture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Evgeny Ofrikhter
Advisor to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s managing directors over Central Asia and Russia, Eastern Europe and Caucasus, Evgeny previously managed the EBRD’s activities in the Urals and developed infrastructure projects in Russia, Central Asia and Ukraine.
HE Mr Erlan Idrissov
Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK, Mr Idrissov has twice served as his country’s foreign minister, and for five years as its ambassador to the United States. He played a crucial role in President Nazarbayev’s strategy to strengthen relations with ‘the west’, representing the interests of the Central Asian region.
Mr Shao Zheng
Counsellor for Policy Analysis at the Chinese Embassy in London, Mr Shao is an experienced diplomat who has served at the Chinese embassies in Washington DC and twice in London. He has worked at the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, Department of Information, Department of Boundary and Maritime Affairs, and Department of Translation and Interpretation in China’s foreign affairs ministry.
Mr Aliyor Tilavov
Mr Tilavov is Counsellor for Political Affairs at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in London.
Dr Siddharth Shankar Saxena
Chairperson of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Siddharth’s research is centred upon religion and identity, knowledge systems, social and political development and institutional history in Central Asia and the Middle East. Trained as a physicist, anthropologist and historian, he has conducted field-based research in Central Asia since the early 1990s. He has served as consultant to organisations in the UN system and received residential Medals of Honour from both Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
devstudies.cam.ac.uk/ Dr Siddharth Saxena
centralasia.group.cam.ac.uk/ Key Officers
Dr Razia Sultanova
A musicologist who studied and worked at the Tashkent and Moscow State Conservatories, and at the Russian Arts Study Institute, Razia’s area of study includes the significance of music for the construction of identities, religion and gender in Central Asian and Middle Eastern cultures. She is vice-president of the International Council for Traditional Music and has acted as a music consultant for Turksoy and UNESCO.
mus.cam.ac.uk/ Dr Razia Sultanova
raziasultanova.co.uk
Dilmurad Yusupov
A doctoral researcher at Sussex University’s Institute of Development Studies, Dilmurad has worked for the Japan International Cooperation Agency and at the Japanese embassy in Uzbekistan on projects aimed at improving social protection and rehabilitation for disabled and vulnerable people.
ids.ac.uk/ Dilmurad Yusupov
@d_yusupov
Matteo Fumagalli
Currently a senior lecturer at the University of St Andrews School of International Relations, Matteo’s research interests lie at the intersection of the study of ethnic conflict and violence and the politics of natural resources, especially in authoritarian settings in Central Asia, the South Caucasus and East Asia.
st-andrews.ac.uk/ Matteo Fumagalli
Bruce Pannier
Bruce Pannier is senior correspondent for Central Asia at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, where he writes the Qishloq Ovozi blog. He also sits on the advisory board for SEnECA, a project that seeks to strengthen relations between the EU and Central Asia. Before joining RFE/RL, Bruce led a sociological project in Central Asia and lived in villages in the region.
@BrucePannier
rferl.org/ Qishloq Ovozi
Dr Balihar Sanghera
Senior Lecturer in Sociology at University of Kent’s School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, Balihar’s research interest lies in the political and moral economy of Eurasia, and in exploring how economic institutions and relationships relate to moral values and norms.
kent.ac.uk/ Dr Balihar Sanghera
Women Behind the Wheel
Catherine and Hannah drove the full length of the Pamir Highway to meet the unique women living along it. They collate their interviews with these exceptional people into an hour-length film Women Behind the Wheel: Unheard Voices on the Pamir Highway.
gofundme.com/ Women Behind the Wheel
facebook.com/ Women Behind the Wheel