Elmir was born and raised in a small northern Azerbaijani town called Qakh. As a high-school exchange student, he spent one year as part of the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) in New York. His undergraduate studies focused on economics at the Baku Engineering University. Elmir has worked at the Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD) for two years as a junior researcher. He has been writing independently on the economic policy challenges of his country on his blog for the past three years. After graduation, Elmir plans to work in the public sector and hopes to build his career on budgetary policy. He enjoys swimming, ice hockey, and soccer.