Aruzhan Meirkhanova received her undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations from Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan. Her current research focuses on continuity and change in authoritarian regimes in a comparative perspective. She has worked as a Student Associate for the Russia Matters project at the Belfer Center. Aruzhan is also an Innovation Fellow for the Program on Central Asia, where she works on the project on the governance of renewable energy transition in the region.