From 2007 to 2015 he was Director of the Russia and Eurasian Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Kuchins then served as Senior Fellow and research professor at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

"The state-sanctioned battle against progressive elements in Kyrgyzstan deepened over the weekend with the police summoning the American head of a Western-style university in Bishkek for questioning.

This effort is most prominently symbolized by a criminal case recently launched against AUCA President Andrew Kuchins, an esteemed and long-time member of PONARS Eurasia known for his support of academic freedom and the broadly cross-national scholarly community.

In the strongest possible terms, we call on the relevant authorities to immediately drop the drug-dealing charge against Kuchins—a meritless case that risks discrediting the country’s law-enforcement system in international eyes—and to restore Kyrgyzstan’s long-standing status as the Central Asian region’s leader in academic freedom.

"[6]At the June 2021 virtual commencement, Dr. Kuchins announced that he would be stepping down as President of AUCA and returning to the United States.