Dr Sultonbek Aksakolov is an Assistant Professor of History at the UCA School of Arts and Sciences. Previously, he held research positions with the Institute of Humanities in Khorog (Tajikistan), Uppsala University (Sweden), and the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) (UK). Most recently, Dr Aksakolov completed a post-doctoral fellowship with the IIS.
He has led workshops to develop the capacity of local researchers and supported grant applications by postgraduate students researching Pamiri ethnography. He also lectured graduate students and was a teaching assistant at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. He is a Visiting Research Fellow with the Centre for Islamic Studies under the Office of the President of Tajikistan. Previously, he was a consultant with the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation, Tajikistan. He is on the UK-based Chevening Scholarships Reading Committee and is a principal examiner for the International Baccalaureate Organisation (UK).
His research interests include the history of Soviet Central Asia, state policy and Islam, intellectual and social developments in the region. He has authored articles on Ismailia of Central Asia, education, and development challenges in the region.
Dr Aksakolov holds a PhD in History from SOAS, University of London, and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge. He has a graduate certificate in Islamic Studies and Humanities from IIS, as well as a Bachelor's degree in Tajik Philology from Khorog State University.
