Assel G. Bitabar

Assel G. Bitabar is a teaching professor at Maqsut Narikbayev University, where she teaches International Relations courses. She is also a non-resident fellow at the SAIS China Research Center, Johns Hopkins University. Her research focuses on international relations in Central Asia, particularly mutual perceptions in contemporary Central Asian-Chinese relations and the agency of the region's states. Fluent in multiple languages, she has conducted fieldwork across Central Asia and China. More broadly, her research interests include China's foreign policy and Eurasian international politics. Her academic and media publications have appeared in English, German, Japanese, and Kazakh.

For the past five years, she has mentored students through a book club and individual writing guidance, encouraging critical discussion and participation in public discourse through media publication.