He earned Master's degree in International Relations from Middle East Technical University (METU) in Turkey (2003), and PhD in Political Science from Texas Tech University (2009), USA. Between 2000 and 2003, Dr. Soltanov worked as a researcher at the Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM) think-tank in Ankara, Turkey, where he also served as the editor of Avrasya Haber, a joint project with Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TCDA). Prior to joining ADA, Dr. Soltanov served as Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Truman State University, Missouri. He also taught at Texas Tech University, Texas, and Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania, USA. Dr. Soltanov's teaching and research interests cover international security and political economy, methodology and energy politics.