On October 16, 2026, Dr. Ayaz Rzayev, a faculty member at the Department of Political Science and Philosophy at Khazar University, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation unanimously at the University of Trento (Università di Trento), Italy, earning the right to receive the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

His dissertation, entitled “In the Shadow of the Bear: Learning and Alignment in the Post-Soviet Space,” examines learning processes and alignment dynamics in the post-Soviet space.