IRIM has 20 full-time employees who are proficient in conducting research and training, managing projects and providing consultation services. Our employees are professionals in sociology, marketing, social work, public health, politics, psychology, economics, legal studies and management and they have up to twenty years of experience in relevant social research areas.

BOARD

Bekhbat Khasbazar

President

Bekhbat serves as IRIM's president since 2015. He is the former ambassador of Mongolia to the United States of America, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and the permanent delegate of Mongolia to UNESCO, UN Office and The World Trade Organization. In 1990 he was the foreign policy advisor of the first president of Mongolia. He is also the director of the Diplomatic Academy and the special acting ambassador of the Foreign ministry. He is the head of the Mongolian and French friendship society and a leading member of the Ambassadors club of Mongolia.

Bekhbat graduated from the Moscow Institute of International Relations and holds a PhD in History from Moscow Academy of Social Sciences. Apart from his native Mongolian, Bekhbat is fluent in French, English and Russian.

Tamir Chultemsuren

Chairman and Consultant

Tamir is one of the co-founders of IRIM. Having worked in both the consultative and academic sectors since 1999, Tamir is intimately familiar with local governance studies and Mongolian politics. Having attended various academic seminars and functions across the USA, Ireland, Hungary, Turkey, Finland, Kazakhstan, Austria, United Kingdom and Korea, Tamir has diverse and in-depth experience of engaging partners in cross-cultural settings.

His expertise areas are social research - poverty alleviation, civic participation, community development, public perception; policy research – education policy, institution strengthening, local governance and stakeholder analysis; public-private partnership, monitoring and evaluation; project management and consultation.

Moreover his work has involved explicit inputs to teaching (including within universities and colleges), training (speciality courses, on-the-job, and so on) and mentoring (including students on various types of courses), giving Tamir excellent inter-personal skills.

Bold Tsevegdorj

Board member and Consultant

Bold is one of the co-founders and a board member of IRIM. He has a Master in Sociology and a Bachelor in Mathematics. He was also a lecturer at the National University of Mongolia for 16 years in the Sociology and Social Work Department. His is a secretary of the Journal ‘Sociology’ as well as a member of the Mongolian Sociological Association. Bold extensive experience in the field of sociology allows him to be a mentor for our junior staff and helps them in becoming world class researchers. Bold is a native Mongolian speaker and has a good command of Russian.

   

Byambasuren Yadmaa

Board member and Consultant

At IRIM he is involved in projects as team leader, principal investigator and/or as a consultant. He helps IRIM to improve knowledge management practices to ensure researchers are sharing information among each other. Byambasuren has worked in Mongolia, Australia and South Korea. His has over 10 years of experience working in research and 15 years of experience as a lecturer and director at the National Academy of Governance in the professional development institute. He also serves on the board of the Journal of Mongolian Public Administration. Byambasuren is a native Mongolian speaker, is fluent in English and has a working knowledge of Korean.

DR TAPAN SARKER

INDEPENDENT BOARD MEMBER

Dr Tapan Sarker joined IRIM in 2018 as an international independent board member. He holds a Bachelor from University of Chittagong, Masters from Keio University, PhD from The National Australian University. He is now Director of Engagement, Griffith Business School, a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow based at the Asia Pacific Centre for Sustainable Enterprise (APCSE), Griffith University, Australia.

He specializes in Sustainable development, Fiscal policy, The Role of Corporate Sustainability in Asian Development, CSR and Strategy, Political economy of sustainable development. Dr Tapan Sarker has provided training ,management and international developmental consultation to a number of organizations, including the World Bank, International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, and the Mongolian Revenue Authority.

Munkh-Erdene Sanduijav

Board member and Consultant

Munkh-Erdene joined IRIM in 2022 as an independent board member. He holds a Master's degree in Managerial Economics from the University of Wisconsin. He serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Mondreem Co. Ltd. Munkh-Erdene served as finance manager and controller for many donor projects and international missions in Mongolia and has a keen interest in emerging technologies, especially in their capacity to inform strategic decision-making.

He speaks Mongolian and English.

Dolgion Aldar

Consultant, BOARD MEMBER

Dolgion started her career at IRIM in 2009 as a researcher but her role has changed over the years and she is currently the board member and consultant of IRIM. Dolgion has extensive international experience and believes that professionals in Mongolia have a lot to benefit by collaborating with their counterparts around the world. She has attended conferences in Mongolia, Japan, Philippines, Hungary, Turkey and the UK. She has served as a panelist for the forum on Japan - ADB Assistance Outcomes and Future Directions in Mongolia. 

Her key qualifications include project management, sector and policy studies, monitoring and evaluation, and institution strengthening. She has a Masters in Political Science from the University of Manchester and a Masters in Sociology from the National University of Mongolia. Dolgion is fluent in English and Mongolian and has a good command of French.

         

Minjirmaa Namjinbaatar

BOARD MEMBER AND CONSULTANT

Minjirmaa has been working at IRIM as a project coordinator and project manager since 2013 and has been the Operations director in 2018. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Sociology from the National University of Mongolia. Her current role is ensure the best outcome for our projects and above all to meet our client’s requirements. She works closely to oversee projects implemented as well as ensuring that IRIMs has a positive working environment and that internal policy and procedures are followed. Her research interests are mining, and governance issues including corruption, transparency and corporate social responsibility. She is a native speaker of Mongolian has a very good command of English and Russian.

She also participated “Promoting Effective Governance for Mining Sector Development through capacity building in research and engagement” program at the Griffith University in 2017.

Directors

Jargalmaa Ganzorig

Operations Director

Since 2016, Jargalmaa has been working as a researcher, project coordinator, project manager and board secretary at the IRIM. After promoted to position of Operations Director of the company in 2020, she has been responsible for the effective and efficient management of all projects implemented by the organization.

In this regard, she is currently responsible to apply the ISO 9001:2015 standard of project management to all ongoing IRIM projects and manages the delivery of quality products and services that meet the needs and requirements of our clients and partners.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Social work from the National University of Mongolia. Her research interests include issues of disadvantaged groups and children’s rights, especially disability study and inclusive education.

Tselmegsaikhan LKhagva

Executive Director

Tselmegsaikhan is the CEO of the Independent Research Institute of Mongolia (IRIM), one of the leading research and consultancy organization in Mongolia. She has over 13 years of experience in social research, public opinion surveys, impact assessment, monitoring and evaluation projects.  

Through leading IRIM, she has managed all types of research and consultancy projects in Mongolia and several Asian countries for development stakeholders, including bilateral and multilateral donors, government agencies, international non-profit organizations, foundations, and private businesses.

Tselmegsaikhan aims to contribute the development of good policy and programs informed by independent research evidence and strong stakeholder engagement. She also has strong interest in women’s empowerment principles; and voluntarily initiated and implemented “Women’s Economic Empowerment” community development project in 2019 in Mongolia with peer alumnus.

Tselmegsaikhan is an alumnus of Women’s Leadership Program, initiated by the Government of Australia, and holds a Master of Sociology from the National University of Mongolia as well as a Master of Development studies from the University of Melbourne.

Managers

Ian Leach

Senior Project Manager

Ian joined IRIM in 2013 as a Senior Researcher. He has been involved in teams working on various projects related to mining, SMEs, TVET and water resources.

Ian trained as a biochemist, and worked on pure and applied research within the food industry before joining what is now the Natural Resources Institute. In the NRI, he was responsible for home-based and overseas projects related to meat and meat by-products (including hides, skins and wool) and has worked in many countries throughout Africa, Central and South  Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. In 2000 he completed an MBA at Oxford Brookes University and became more involved in enterprise (including livelihoods) development; with various organizations including: ADB, AfDB, EBRD, FAO and IBRD. Prior to joining IRIM he worked as Team Leader and Agriculture Policy Specialist on EU-funded projects - in what were previously the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Ministry of Industry and Trade . His main research interests are traditional (subsistence) livestock production and commercial agriculture.

Ochbadral Altansukh

Database Manager

Graduated from NUM-School of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Sociology degree in 2019. After graduation, he has been working as an IRIM researcher for over 2 years. During his tenure, he has worked as a data manager, data analyst, and researcher on surveys, inspection, and evaluation analyses. Has worked on a total of 25 projects, taking part in both main operation teams and support teams. And has started studying for a master's in sociology in NUM in 2020. Currently, work as a data manager in an IRIM research institution. Responsible for the institution’s data collection and monitors the quality control process. 

AZBILEG TOGTOKHBAYAR

Innovation & Technology Manager

AZBILEG Togtokhbayar received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the National University of Mongolia. He is the young researcher and manager, who worked in the sector for 5 years. Previously, he was worked in the “Mongolia in the Digital Age” international project as an analyst. His research interest is on the digital transformation, digital literacy, digital development, social change in digital world.

For the last 3 years, he has worked as assistant researcher, project coordinator, project development researcher and public relations researcher at the Independent Research Institute of Mongolia. Currently, he is working as an innovation and technology manager with the ambition to improve the technological input to the business processes, organizational change, and public relations.

Yanjinpagma Nyamsuren

Senior Researcher

Yanjinpagma is a social scientist and a sociologist with a Bachelor of Sociology degree from the National University of Mongolia in 2009 and a Master’s degree in Sociology in 2012. She has been continuously working with IRIM since 2009 as a researcher, senior researcher, project manager, and board member. During her tenure, she has researched and monitored, organized, and lead evaluation projects focusing on the social and economic situation of rural households, women’s rights, the environment, and sustainable development. In 2013, she became a co-founder of MIRIM Consultant LLC, a subsidiary of IRIM Research institution, a business and innovation consulting company, and has been a project manager, senior researcher, and CEO for MIRIM Consultant LLC since 2015. During this period, she has been mainly responsible for research and consulting services to strengthen the socioeconomic development of small and medium enterprises and the management systems of organizations, as well as strengthening the operations and the governance of MIRIM Consultant LLC and promoting it to the market. Since 2020, she has been a senior researcher at both IRIM Research institution and MIRIM Consultant LLC. She is a professional researcher who has been working in the field of research and consulting for 13 years. 

Dashzeveg Lkhagvanorov

Senior Researcher

Dashzeveg joined IRIM in 2012 and is a researcher and coordinator at IRIM. He holds a Bachelor of Sociology from the National University of Mongolia. He joined IRIM in 2012 and he has been involved in numerous monitoring and evaluation projects. Working as a project manager he is responsible for organizing and developing project plans, developing research tools, analyzing data and writing reports.

Elberel Tumenjargal

Senior Researcher

Elberel Tumenjargal is a senior researcher with over nine years of experience managing research and evaluation projects.
She received a bachelor’s degree in social work from the National University of Mongolia. For the next six years, she has worked at the Independent Research Institute of Mongolia (IRIM) where she has coordinated over 50 research, monitoring, and evaluation projects for social development programs in Mongolia funded by development organizations. She has led research and evaluations across a range of sectors including education, health, mining, community development, and local government.

Also, she received a Fulbright Scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State based on her experience and competence. She graduated from Georgia State University in 2020 with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.

Currently, she is working as a senior researcher and a consultant. As a senior researcher, she contributes to the public relations in the organization and professional development  of junior researchers at IRIM.

Bayarmaa Khurelchuluun

Senior Researcher

Bayarmaa joined IRIM as a researcher in 2011. She holds a Master of Sociologist from the National University of Mongolia. Her roles as a senior researcher include responsibilities regarding the successful initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure of a project. Bayarmaa’s research areas of interest focus on governance, more specifically transparency and openness of government agencies, civic engagement in public service improvement.

Tserendorj Erdenebat

Data Collection Manager

Has been working as a data collection manager, project coordinator and researcher at the IRIM since 2015. Has a Bachelor of Sociology degree from the National University of Mongolia. He plans to specialize in occupational safety and labor protection and is researching focused on said areas. Tserendorj supports the work of project managers by analyzing datas and writing reports. 

Shinetsetseg Baynbat

Data Quality Manager

Shinetsetseg has graduated from NUM-School of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Sociology degree in 2019. She has been working in IRIM as a data quality manager and researcher since 2019. Her research focus areas are gender, public opinion, and media. 

Researchers

Dolgorsuren Gombojav

RESEARCHER

Holding Bachelor in Sociology from the National University of Mongolia, Dolgorsuren commenced her career at IRIM as a researcher in May 2016. During this time, she has gained experience of working as a researcher and coordinator for research projects in the areas of gender, mining, education and governance. Her research interest areas include gender studies and policy studies, urban governance and urban poverty in particular.

Tseden-Ish Purevdorj

Researcher

Graduated from the Mongolian National University of Education in 2016 with a Bachelor of Sociology degree as a teacher. Started working in IRIM as an office manager in 2017, as a researcher, and as a coordinator since 2021. Her main role is organizing and leading project teams, developing and supporting the products from the project teams. And is planning to specialize in human resource management. 

JAVKHLAN JARGALSAIKHAN

Researcher

JAVKHLAN is a Researcher at IRIM. She joined IRIM as a researcher in 2018. She holds a bachelor degree in International Trade and Business Administration from the University of Humanities. As a researcher, she is responsible for the successful project management, including conducting research, project planning, execution, organizing workshops, communication with the stakeholders and overall project coordination. Her research interest includes governance sector.

Byambatseren Tumurkhuu

Researcher

Graduated from NUM-School of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Sociology degree in 2019. Has been working in IRIM as a researcher since 2019. His research focus areas are education, social welfare, and the labor market. Graduated from NUM-School of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Sociology degree in 2019. Has been working in IRIM as a researcher since 2019. His research focus areas are education, social welfare, and the labor market.

Bolor Bold

Database Researcher

Graduated from NUM-School of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Sociology degree in 2021.

Since 2019, he has been working with IRIM as a contract researcher and field researcher. Started working as a data researcher in 2021 and is responsible for developing and refining the data for every ongoing projects within the institution, organizing the quality control and maintaining the institution’s integrated database system. 
 

Dagiisuren Uuganbaatar

Researcher

Dagiisuren graduated from National University of Mongolia where she completed bachelor's degree in Sociology. She joined IRIM as a Researcher in 2020. Her research interest areas include governance, social protection, and poverty.

Nandintsetseg Naidansuren

Researcher

Nandintsetseg joined IRIM as a researcher in 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Sociology from the National University of Mongolia. Her roles as a researcher include responsibilities regarding the successful initiation, planning, design, execution and closure of a project. Nandintsetseg’s research interests include technology, social network and sustainable development. She is a native speaker of Mongolian and has a moderate command of English.

Odontuya Sukhbaatar

Researcher

Odontuya started working in IRIM after graduating with her bachelor's degree in Public Administration at the National Univerity of Mongolia. Her current role as a researcher is to coordinate the research team, manage project activities, public events, and maintain positive relationships with clients and the public. As a researcher of the IRIM, she has gained experience in the areas of gender, finance, environment, and governance.

Administration

Khongorzul Munkhchuluun

Senior accountant

Has been working in IRIM research institution since 2009. She has a Bachelor of Sociology degree from The National University of Mongolia. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Mandakh university in 2015. She is responsible for the institution’s financial activities and is a Certified Public Accountant of Mongolia.

Uyanga Erdenebat

Project financier

She has been working as a project financier at the Independent research Institute of Mongolia since 2015. 

She holds a bachelor degree in Geologic mapping from the Mongolian University of Science and Technology. In addition, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the Mandakh Burtgel University.  

ODONCHIMEG BAVUU

OFFICE MANAGER

Odonchimeg is working at IRIM since 2018 as a office manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English translator at the International Ulaanbaatar University. Her roles as an office manager include organizing daily and traditional activities in IRIM and assisting in project development and implementation. She is a native speaker of Mongolian and has a very good command of English.

Zulsarnai Buyanbat

Human resource manager

Zulsarnai Buynbat had been a contracted researcher in 2019, and in 2020 she started working as a quality control manager. As of today, she works as a Human Resource manager at IRIM Research institution. 

Consultants

MANLAIBAATAR ZAGDBAZAR

Consultant

Manlaibaatar is internal monitoring officer at IRIM. In these being responsible for reviewing the quality of IRIM’s products.  He holds a Master degree in Economic Policy from the Central European University in Hungary. His majors are applied mathematics and economics.

His work experience includes working as a researcher at Economic Research Institute of Mongolia, a research assistant in the Central Bank of Hungary, a researcher at Development Strategy and System Research Centre. He has also held positions as a lecturer of economics, mathematics modeling and game theory at the National University of Mongolia and the Khan Uul Institute. His research field is in fiscal policy, economic modeling, properties and labor markets, SME development, and institutional economics. Manlaibaatar is a native speaker in Mongolian and fluent in English.

BULGAN LUUZANDAMBA

Consultant

Bulgan started her career at IRIM in 2016 as the consultants. She has extensive experience with the United Nations Mongolia and public sector, namely public health, gender and population dynamics issues.

Her key qualifications include project management, monitoring and evaluation, and institution strengthening. She has a Masters in International Development from the International University of Japan. Bulgan is fluent in English, Russian and Mongolian and has a good command of Japanese.

Damba Lkhagvasuren

Consultant

Damba is a project consultant at IRIM. He holds a master’s degree and a doctorate in economics from the University of Rochester, USA, and a master’s degree in economics from the University of Colorado, USA. His areas of specialty are education, unemployment and labor issues. Damba is fluent in Mongolian, Russian and English

AMARTOGTOH MISHA

Consultant

Amartogtokh is a project consultant at IRIM. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Anglia Ruskin University, UK. His areas of specialization are governance, public policy, human resources management  and public management. Amartogtokh is fluent in Mongolian and English.

Tsendjav Tsagaankhuu

Freelancer consultant

Tsendjav.Ts is the freelance consultant at IRIM. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and monitoring and evaluation specialist.

Since 1990, he worked for the Cabinet Secretariat of Government of Mongolia in the position from the referent to the duputy head of the department and has 37 years of continuous experience in public administration.

He developed a handbook on “Monitoring and evaluation of public administration”. Also, his co-translated two major theoretical and methodological books “Ten Steps to a Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation System” and “The way to the results” with professionals.

Additionally, he was involved in the development and approval of the “Law on Development Policy and Planning”, the “General Procedures for Monitoring and Evaluating the Implementation of Policy Documents and Administrative Bodies”, and the “General Guidelines for Consumer Evaluation”.