Mariya joined The Critical Mass as a Project Coordinator in 2022 and was promoted to International Stability & Security Programming Subject Matter Expert and Senior Project Coordinator in 2023. She is responsible for the variety of tasks, including offering her expertise on international relations, anti-corruption strategies, and practical/research-backed strategies and recommendations to achieve project objectives; conducting in-depth research and analysis of international security issues, such as geopolitical conflicts, terrorism, cyber threats, and regional stability; overseeing day-to-day project execution, monitoring progress, and addressing issues as they arise. 

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Mariya Chukhnova is a trilingual (Ukrainian, Russian, English) expert in international security and regional knowledge, specializing in Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine and Russia. With a diverse background in cybersecurity, rule of law, anti-corruption, and international security, Mariya possesses a distinctive skill set that is instrumental in formulating and executing programs and seeking solutions for complex global challenges. 

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Her position as a United Nations representative for the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations solidifies her status as an esteemed professional in the fields of international security and regional affairs. 

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Since August 2020, Mariya has been actively involved in instructing the course "Systemic Corruption in Eurasia: Competition, Conflict, and War" at Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs/Harriman Institute, where she conducts a seminar, titled " Ukraine on the Eve of War and the Fight for Independence and Sovereignty,” that covers deoligarchization and other important initiatives to reform the system in Ukraine.  

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Mariya earned her bachelor's degree in Slavic Studies from Columbia University School of General Studies and a master's degree in Regional Studies with a focus on Ukraine-Russia relations from The Harriman Institute at Columbia University. Mariya was born and raised in Lutsk, Ukraine, and immigrated to the United States in her early twenties

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