Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs
Associate Professor, PhD in Philology
Nigar Rafiq Rustamova was born in 1965 in Baku, Azerbaijan. From 1972 to 1982, she studied at Secondary School No. 150 in Baku. Between 1982 and 1987, she pursued her higher education at the Faculty of Philology of what is now Baku State University. Upon successfully defending her graduation thesis entitled “Problems of Translating Phraseological Units Used in the Works of Jalil Mammadguluzadeh into Russian,” she was awarded the qualification of Philologist.
In 1996, she was admitted to the doctoral program of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts (ASUCA). In 2002, she successfully defended her PhD dissertation on “National Literary Traditions in the Works of Suleyman Rahimov.” In 2003, by decision of the Higher Attestation Commission under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, she was awarded the academic degree of PhD in Philology. In 2008, she received the academic title of Associate Professor. In 2013, she was awarded the “Advanced Education Worker” badge by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan. By the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 13, 2023, she was awarded the “Progress” Medal for her contributions to the development of education in Azerbaijan.
From 1991 to 2009, Associate Professor Rustamova held various positions at ASUCA, including Laboratory Assistant, Lecturer, Associate Professor, and Academic Secretary of the Academic Council. Between 2006 and 2008, she served as Academic Secretary of Dissertation Council No. 02.091 operating under the University.
From 2009 to 2020, she worked as an expert for the Science and Education Committee of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of the Republic of Azerbaijan. During the third, fourth, and fifth convocations of the Parliament, she actively participated in the drafting of legislation in the fields of education and science. She contributed to the preparation of the Laws “On Science,” “On Preschool Education,” “On Vocational Education,” and “On General Education,” as well as amendments and supplements to the Law “On Education.” In this capacity, she collaborated with numerous foreign universities and educational institutions to incorporate progressive international practices into Azerbaijan’s educational legislation.
From 2020 to 2021, she served as Adviser to the Rector on Educational Innovations at ASUCA. In this role, she developed proposals aimed at accelerating the University’s integration into the European Higher Education Area, introducing new labor market-oriented academic programs, and establishing international educational initiatives. Since September 2021, she has held the position of Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs.
Associate Professor Rustamova has participated in various projects implemented within the framework of the European Union’s Erasmus+ Programme. Under the Erasmus+ Key Action 2 project “Establishment of a Rectors’ Conference in Azerbaijan” (ECAR), she contributed to the preparation of legal and regulatory documents for the Azerbaijan Rectors’ Conference, conducted comparative analyses of legislation and governance models of rectors’ conferences in other countries, and participated in drafting the Charter and related documents of the Azerbaijan Rectors’ Conference in accordance with national requirements. Within the ECAR project, she also led the working group of the Revision of Regulation Committee. In 2023, she was elected Deputy Chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs and Quality Assurance of the Azerbaijan Rectors’ Conference.
Throughout her academic and pedagogical career, Associate Professor Rustamova has authored the monograph “Epic Prose and National Tradition (Based on the Works of S. Rahimov),” the methodological guide “History of Russian Literature (19th Century),” and the curriculum for the course “History of Russian Literature.” She has translated “Theory of Film: The Redemption of Physical Reality” by Siegfried Kracauer and “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler into Azerbaijani. She is also the author of numerous scholarly articles and has delivered presentations at national and international scientific, theoretical, and practical conferences.