Ara Khzmalyan is a PhD in public international law, and a lecturer at Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University since 2009 and American University of Armenia since 2015.

Areas of academic specialization include international humanitarian law, international criminal law, human rights law, refugee law.

Ara is also the co-founder of ADWISE Consulting, where he is leading the legal advisory of the Company. He is a member of the Chamber of Advocates of Republic of Armenia and is a Patent Attorney of Republic of Armenia. Currently Ara is also engaged as a substitute member from Armenia in the CoE Venice Commission, and as an ad hoc judge with the European Court of Human Rights.