Elizbar Khvichia

Elizbar Khvichia is a PhD student at the University of Kansas' School of Public Affairs and Administration. His research interests include democratic backsliding, accountability, governance networks, partisanship in the policymaking process, and constitutional challenges in policymaking, with a broader interest in democratic governance and public institutions.

Before beginning his doctoral studies, Elizbar earned MPA from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University as a Fulbright Scholar. He holds a BA in Political and Social Sciences from Tbilisi State University, Georgia and completed EU Commission funded "Erasmus+" academic exchanges at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic and the University of Porto in Portugal, as well as a summer program at Charles University in Prague. His international academic experience began with the U.S. Department of State-funded Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program, through which he completed his final year of high school in Delaware, Ohio.

His professional and research experience includes work in academia, both in central and local governments, and international organizations. He served as an Edmund Muskie Fellow at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and has also held roles with the Georgian Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, the International Republican Institute, the NATO Liaison Office in Georgia. 
 

Elizbar is a native Georgian speaker, with professional proficiency in English, working proficiency in Russian, and limited proficiency in German. His hobbies include horseback riding, wine tasting, and skiing.