Joint Research and New Projects

Dr. Antoine A. Okyé has arrived at Kozybayev University for Russian language practice from INALCO University (Paris). He holds a PhD in Business Economics from Harvard Business School, Massachusetts, USA. It is worth noting that representatives of INALCO University have already visited us earlier this year. A large-scale collaborative effort in the fields of language, literature, history, and culture is planned. We look forward to continued close partnership!

Under the “Visiting Scholar” program, professors from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, have also joined us. Rifat Nasim Malik is Pakistan’s most productive scientist, ranked 1st in Environmental Sciences by PCST (Pakistan) and among the top 2% of scientists worldwide according to the Stanford/Elsevier List 2021–2024. She specializes in environmental assessment and monitoring, ecological biology, ecotoxicology, as well as remote sensing and GIS technologies. Together with her colleague, Professor Shujol Mulk Khan from the Department of Crop Science at Quaid-i-Azam University, they will remain at our university until the end of September.

Additionally, Professor Chepni Salih from Uludağ University, Turkey, has joined us. He is the Dean of the Faculty of Education and the owner of a Scopus-indexed scientific journal, opening significant opportunities for research publications for our scholars.

Another Turkish professor, Emin Atasoy, previously collaborated with us and gave lectures, and now he has become a full-time faculty member at Kozybayev University. Together with his son, Dr. Ismail Orkun Atasoy, PhD in General Linguistics, they teach students, including in double-degree programs, and conduct scientific research. Moreover, Kozybayev University also employs faculty from Italy, the USA, and China.

With their extensive international experience, foreign professors bring new ideas and topics for joint scientific research. Our university already has successful examples of such collaboration. An ambitious sulfur polymerization project, carried out jointly with scientists from the University of Arizona, has received support from JSC NC “KazMunayGas.” Using inverse vulcanization, sulfur—a by-product that is largely unused in oil and gas extraction—can be converted into valuable polymers, plastics, composites, and next-generation fertilizers. The implementation of this project in Kazakhstan will begin next year.

During a meeting with the visiting scholars, Chairman of the Board–Rector Erbol Issakaev emphasized the importance of such international collaboration not only for Kozybayev University but also for the entire northern region of Kazakhstan.