Irina S. Khmelko

Irina S. Khmelko is a UC Foundation Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Service at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), holding active teaching appointments across the College of Arts and Sciences, Honors College, and Business School. She serves as Chair of the Research Committee of Legislative Specialists (RC08) for the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and maintains significant policy engagement with organizations including USAID and the World Bank.

Her educational background includes four advanced degrees: a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Indiana University, an MPA from Bowling Green State University, an MA from Lancaster University (UK), and a graduate degree equivalent to a Ph.D. from the USSR. Her multilingual expertise (seven languages) supports extensive international collaboration.

Khmelko's research centers on legislative studies in post-authoritarian societies, with regional specialization in Eastern Europe and Former Soviet States. She examines governmental system design for societal well-being, focusing on legislative-executive relations, parliamentary institutionalization, and policy processes during crises like Ukraine's wartime governance. Her work bridges theoretical development and practical policy application through books, peer-reviewed articles, and rapid-response blogging.

Her recent publications reveal consistent focus on legislative adaptation in turbulent contexts, particularly Ukraine's institutional resilience during war, comparative analysis of post-Soviet legislatures, and global legislative responses to authoritarian challenges. This body of work demonstrates methodological diversity across case studies, cross-national comparisons, and policy evaluations.

• UC Foundation Professorship

Khmelko actively advises Honors College thesis committees and UTC graduate students while reviewing 10-15 major NSF grants annually ($600k-$1.2M range). Her policy impact includes direct consultation with USAID's Kevin Gash and World Bank's Kofi Tsikata, alongside engagements with NDI, European Parliament, and UNDP officials. She has developed 24 new courses at UTC, including specialized international offerings for business students.

As IPSA Research Committee Chair, she coordinates global scholarly networks connecting academics with practitioners at institutions like the World Bank. Her leadership extends to UTC task forces that created Ukrainian student scholarships and facilitated cultural diplomacy initiatives including the Kyiv Ballet residency during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.