Orkhan Yolchuyev - Co-founder and Director of the Center. A historian and international journalist with extensive experience. He is the author of numerous articles and interviews on topics such as politics, culture, economics, history, and more. Orkhan has worked in leading Azerbaijani and Russian publications as a political observer and foreign correspondent, was part of the press pool of the President of Azerbaijan, and led the development of digital platforms for media agencies.

Miri Aliyev - Co-founder of the Center. He heads the analytics department, which supports all center projects by providing informational and political analysis, preparing analytical materials for clients, and developing strategic recommendations and proposals. Miri has extensive experience in government relations (GR), event organization, project management, and the development of strategic programs.

Azim Rahimov - an expert in international relations and international politics. His primary areas of professional focus include public policy and engagement with state institutions in the field of public relations. At the Center, he holds the position of Head of the Department for Government Relations, where he is responsible for strategic communications and coordination with governmental bodies.

Nargiz Mammadova - STEM Center analyst and specialist in international relations. Her primary research areas include the politics of the South Caucasus, as well as EU and UK countries. Currently, Nargiz is actively studying the integration of artificial intelligence into the field of international relations, exploring its impact and potential in global politics.

STEM Center Guest Experts

Samаd Samadsoy - Independent researcher-analyst on international conflicts, armaments, and security. His research focuses on the military-political issues of post-Soviet states, Russia-NATO relations, and transatlantic security.

László Vasa - Research field: Central Asia, Caucasus, International Agricultural Economics, Economics of Natural Resources, Trade Policy. After his degrees in agricultural economics, German-Hungarian translation and international MBA studies, he completed his PhD and habilitation at Szent Istvan University, Hungary. He worked as an associate professor at this university, where he also acted as the vice dean for international affairs of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. László is a research professor of the Széchenyi István University and a private professor. His main fields of research are economics of transition, Post-Soviet studies and international issues of agricultural economics. He is a professor and PhD supervisor of Hungarian and foreign doctoral schools, member of editorial board of different referred international and Hungarian scientific journals. He actively participates in several international scientific organisations and networks as a visiting professor and honorary doctor of Japanese, Russian, and Kazakh universities.

Fuad Chiragov - Analyst in international relations, defense, and security. Fuad holds a bachelor's degree in history from Baku State University and a master's degree in international relations from Baku State University and Columbia University (USA). He has lectured at various universities in Azerbaijan, delivering courses on U.S. foreign policy and national security, and U.S. policy in the South Caucasus.

Rauf Agamirzayev - Expert in transportation and logistics routes, and a member of the Supervisory Board under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan.

Ilyas Huseynov - Doctor of Philosophy in Political Sciences. Author of more than 50 scientific articles. Head of the Department of Domestic Policy Analysis at the Center for Social Research. Author of a number of important research documents, analytical reports and studies. Lecturer at the Department of "Sociology" of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Psychology of Baku State University.

Orkhan Nabiyev - is a political scientist and analyst specializing in international relations. He is a lecturer at the Department of Regional Studies at Azerbaijan University of Languages. His analytical focus includes political developments in the South Caucasus, European politics, identity transformation, civic peacebuilding, and the analysis of political and conflict narratives. He contributes to analytical research and expert assessments within STEM Lab projects. He works in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Turkish, and Italian, enabling multilingual research and comparative political analysis.

Toghrul Valikhanli - Researcher, holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian Language and Literature from the Faculty of Philology at Baku Slavic University. He later obtained a second bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Law at Cairo University (Egypt) and earned a Master of Business Law (MBL) in European and International Energy Law from the Technical University of Berlin (Germany). He is currently pursuing a PhD in International Relations at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University (Türkiye). His research fields include European energy law and policy, arbitration, Russian foreign policy, Middle Eastern studies, international law, and international relations.

Tamilla Mamedova - is an analyst in the field of international politics and economics. She specializes in research on the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan’s foreign economic relations, energy policy, as well as cooperation with the European Union, Turkey, and the Gulf states. She publishes analytical materials, conducts expert interviews, and provides commentary on key developments in the international agenda.

Laman Nazarova - Political scientist and specialist in international relations. She specializes in the study of geopolitical dynamics with a focus on the South Caucasus and Central Asia, as well as in the analysis of regional connectivity projects, including transport and logistics corridors and their impact on the region’s strategic architecture. She publishes analytical materials, conducts expert interviews, and provides commentary on key developments in regional and global affairs.

Elmira Amiraslanova - Intern at the STEM Analytical Center and a specialist in international relations. Her research interests focus on Russian foreign policy, post-Soviet regional dynamics, and contemporary security challenges. Her undergraduate dissertation, in particular, assessed the failures of Russian foreign policy in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Kamran Ismayilov - Third-year student at ADA University. A young researcher and analyst with an interest in politics and international processes. Specializes in Central Asia and the South Caucasus. An intern involved in the preparation of analytical materials and commentary on regional politics and international relations.