Date and place of birth: December 30th, 1959, Gurjaani, Georgia. 
Nationality: Georgian 
Gender: female 
Marital status: single 

Postal Address: Institute of Botany, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Kojori road 1, 380007 Tbilisi, Georgia. 
E-mail: maia.akhalkatsi@usa.net 
Tel: 00995 32 323429, Fax: 00995 32 001127 

Education: 
1966-1976 Secondary School, Shilda, Georgia 
1976-1981 Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia 
1981-1984 Postgraduate School at the Komarov Botanical Institute, St.Peterburg, Russia 

Degrees: 
1981  Master of Science (Biology, Molecular Genetics), Tbilisi State University, Diplom G-1 N 171724. 
1986  Ph.D. (Cand. Biol. Sci., Botany), the Komarov Botanical Institute, St.Peterburg, Russia . Diplom BL N016282. 

Experience: 
1985-1992 scientific worker, Institute of Botany, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi. 
since 1992 leading scientist, Institute of Botany, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi. 
Since 1997 Chairman of the NGO Orchis 

Lecturer: 
1992-1994 Biology course, College of Natural Sciences at the Institute of Physics of Georgian Academy of Sciences, Tbilisi. 
Since 1999 Biology course, Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi 

Main Professional Interests: Plant embryology, plant reproductive ecology, ecophysiology, evolutionary aspects of female gametophyte of Angiosperms, plant molecular systematic. 

Main Professional experience: Light microscopy, electron microscopy, comprehensive biometric methods. 

Fellowships: Austria - 1992,1993,1994; Germany - 1993, 1995, 1997-1999; USA - 1997. 

Grants: International Science Foundation 1994-1996; DAAD - 1995; IREX - 1997;   Alexander von Humboldt Foundation - 1997-1999; Georgian Academy of Sciences - 1997-1999. 

Memberships: Scientific Council of the Institute of Botany Georgian Academy of Sciences; Chairman of NGO Orchis; Georgian Botanical Society; Botanical  Society of America, Botanical Society of Germany; IASPRR; Intecol;  National Geographical Society 1997-1998 

Languages: English, German, Russian, Georgian.