Academic and Administrative Leadership

Since 2019, Rustam has transformed KIMEP University School of Law in Almaty through progressive leadership roles. As Associate Dean and Interim Dean, he has led strategic planning, accreditation, budget oversight, and resource allocation. He coordinates curriculum development across undergraduate and graduate programs, chairs law school committees, and prepares annual portfolio reports for the Law School Council. Serving on the President’s Cabinet and vice-chairing university bodies, Rustam ensures that policies align with KIMEP’s mission and drives initiatives in quality assurance, community outreach, and business development.

Teaching and Pedagogy

Rustam teaches a broad spectrum of public and international law courses to undergraduate and graduate students:

• International Human Rights Law

• Public International Law

• International Criminal and Humanitarian Law

• Law of Treaties

• Diplomatic and Consular Law

He supervises state and comprehensive examinations, masters thesis panels, and clinical projects in the KIMEP Legal Clinic. Rustam continually innovates pedagogy by incorporating case studies, moot court simulations, interdisciplinary workshops, and digital tools to deepen analytical skills and practical competence.

Research and Scholarly Contributions

An active researcher and editor, Rustam has authored and co-edited major works with T.M.C. Asser Press/Springer, Brill, and Cambridge University Press:

• Humanness as a Protected Legal Interest of Crimes Against Humanity (2nd ed.)

• International Conflict and Security Law: A Research Handbook (co-editor)

• Monographs on human rights implementation in Central Asia

His journal articles examine war crimes, accountability, and regional human rights challenges. Rustam sits on editorial boards for the Journal of International Peacekeeping and the Asian Journal of Comparative Law, and he peer-reviews for leading periodicals. He regularly presents at conferences from The Hague to Beijing.

Legal Advisory and Consultancy

Before academia, Rustam spent seven years with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Central Asia, leading legal analysis on war crimes, universal jurisdiction, nuclear weapons prohibition, and cultural property protection. He drafted and reviewed national legislation on IHL implementation for Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. As an expert for Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice and the National Academy of Sciences, he advises on science policy, animal welfare legislation, and international law reform.

Core Professional Skills

• Strategic Academic Leadership: accreditation, budgeting, governance, faculty development

• Curriculum Design & Assessment: syllabus creation, exam coordination, capstone supervision

• Research & Publishing: monograph authorship, volume editing, journal editorial work

• Legal Drafting & Analysis: treaty negotiation, statutory drafting, legislative review

• Project & Event Management: organizing international workshops, moot competitions, conferences

• Mentorship & Coaching: moot court training, student advising, professional development

Languages, Affiliations & Interests

Rustam is fluent in English, Russian, Kazakh, Uzbek, and Karakalpak, with professional proficiency in German and French. He is an active member of the American Society of International Law, the European Society of International Law, and the Asian Society of International Law. Outside of law, he pursues paleontology, plays classical guitar, and maintains a rigorous fitness routine. Through his blend of scholarly rigor, administrative acumen, and international consultancy, Rustam Atadjanov continues to shape legal education and policy across Central Asia and beyond.