Ilkhom Khalimzoda has been a dedicated board member since 2019, actively participating in outreach groups, the anniversary book editorial team, and coordinating membership matters. Representing ETMU, he served on the Monitoring Group for the Centre of Excellence in Integration at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, Finland (2021–2023).
Ilkhom earned his PhD in Intercultural Communication from the University of Jyväskylä in 2023. His research delves into prejudice, integration, and media engagement among people with immigrant backgrounds, focusing on the Russian diaspora in Latvia and Finland. Currently, he leads a Kone Foundation-funded postdoctoral project, exploring these groups within social media contexts. His work scrutinizes the roles of administrators as gatekeepers in large social media groups, emphasizing practices of positioning, othering, and post-publication gatekeeping. His ultimate goal is to reduce polarization and combat disinformation. His territorial studies cover Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia.
In the third sector, Ilkhom co-founded the Finnish intercultural community and contributes to various networks. As the Migration Director at the European Center for Populism Studies, he examines migration politics. With expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research traditions, as well as post-positivism and constructivism, he champions a diverse perspective that acknowledges multiple viewpoints in the pursuit of truth. For more information, visit his homepage: www.khalimzoda.com.