A policy analyst specializing in comparative politics and international relations, with a focus on state- and nation-building, authoritarian politics, and the foreign policy of small states in the post-Soviet region. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Science at the University of Minnesota and holds an International Master's degree (Erasmus Mundus) in International Security from the University of Glasgow, Dublin City University, and Charles University. He also earned a BA in World Politics from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy and a Certificate in Political Science from Nagoya University.

Before joining the Center for Progressive Reforms, Otabek worked and interned as a researcher and OSINT analyst at various think tanks, including the Center for Mass Communication under the President’s Administration of Uzbekistan, the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, and the Center for Advanced International Studies.