Cian Stryker is a skilled professional with a passion for leveraging data to address complex challenges at the intersection of foreign policy and technology. Currently working as a Data Scientist at Premise Data Corporation, Cian utilizes Python, SQL, and R to analyze and provide actionable insights to public sector clients. With a Master’s degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian studies from Harvard, his qualitative social science foundation complements his current quantitative focus. With professional proficiency in Russian and Persian (Farsi), Cian’s diverse skill set and language capabilities make him a valuable asset in navigating complex global landscapes.
MA in Russian, Eastern European, and Central Asian Studies, 2021
Harvard University
BPhil in Political Science and Russian, Eastern European Studies, 2019
University of Pittsburgh
My Master’s Thesis I completed to earn my graduate degree in Regional Studies - Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Its focus is on how regime type, state-capacity, and regulatory environments affect the potential for developing digital surveillance capacity through cooperation with Chinese ICT companies.
I authored a chapter within this larger volume on the Digital Silk Road in Central Asia. My chapter is titled “Digital Silk Road and Surveillance Technology in Central Asia” and begins on page 17 of the report.
An article in Eurasianet that Nargis Kassenova and myself wrote to promote Caspiana, a website on Central Asia and the South Caucasus that I built during my time at Harvard University.
Small article for Harvard University’s Davis Center on the development of Digital Authoritarianism in Central Asia. This work is related to my MA thesis, but takes a more general approach to talking about the importation of surveillence technology and the role Chinese ICT companies play in spreading Digital Authoritarian tools.
Using descriptive quantitative data and over 30 Russian interviews in Estonia and Kyrgyzstan, I analyze the levels of integration of both countries' Russian-speaking minorities. I argue that the separate levels of integration and different forms identification achieved by both communities suggest that political institutions largely affect integration, but economic climate dictates emigration and can mitigate detrimental effects from discriminatory political institutions.