Ciara McGarry is pursuing a Master of Arts in Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto, where she has studied as a Canada Graduate Scholar (2024–25) and an Ontario Graduate Scholar (2025–26). She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, also from the University of Toronto.
From May to August 2025, Ciara conducted field research in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, while affiliated with Nazarbayev University.