Andrey Sushentsov is Director of the Institute of International Studies at MGIMO University and Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

Dr. Sushentsov is an expert on the US foreign policy in international conflicts, as well as on the South Caucasus, Ukraine, and the Middle East. His research focuses on the spheres of the conflicting interests of Russia and the United States in Europe, the Middle East and the post-Soviet space.

He was a Visiting Professor and Research Fellow at Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Guido Carli Free University of International Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Harvard University and Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey. He is a member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy and the Working Group on the Future of Russian-American Relations. He is also the editor of the annual International Threats forecast.