Shamkhal Abilov is a PhD candidate in History at Humboldt University of Berlin. He holds a BA in International Relations from Qafqaz University (2003-2008) and an MA in International Relations from Leipzig and Vienna Universities (2009-2011), completed within the State Program for Azerbaijani students abroad.

He has an academic background in international relations, with teaching experience at Qafqaz University and Baku Engineering University, where he delivered courses such as Azerbaijan’s Foreign Policy, International Relations Theories, and Research Methods. He is currently affiliated with our university and also works as an academic manager and researcher at the Centre for Initiatives and Projects.

His research focuses on Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the legal status of the Caspian Sea, and regional geopolitics, as well as nationalism. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and books on mediation, energy politics, and regional security.

• PhD candidate in History, Humboldt University of Berlin (since 2021);
• MA in International Relations, Leipzig and Vienna Universities (2009-2011);
• BA in International Relations, Qafqaz University (2003-2008)

• State Program for Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad (2007-2015);
• State Program on Increasing International Competitiveness of Higher Education (2019-2023)

His research focuses on Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, the former Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, international mediation and peace-making processes, the legal status of the Caspian Sea, and regional geopolitics, as well as nationalism. His doctoral research examines third-party mediation and the failure of peace-making in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Insight Turkey, Europe-Asia Studies, Journal of Eurasian Studies, and Energy Strategy Reviews, and is the author and editor of several books on Karabakh, regional security, and Azerbaijani statehood.