Amanzhol Kurmashev

In 2020, Amanzhol was pursuing his Master’s degree at the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea. At the time, he submitted an application, passed a multi-stage competition, and won a grant for the Yessenov Data Lab Summer School. In 2021, the 28-year-old Kazakhstani entered ETH. How has the life of this young researcher changed since acquiring data analytics skills during this four-week intensive program?

You hail from Talgar. What are your brightest childhood memories?
There are four children in our family. I have two elder sisters and a twin sister who, by the way, also won a grant from one of the Yessenov Foundation’s programs (Aidana Kurmasheva – IT internship in the U.S.). Our childhood was active and eventful: besides studying, my sister and I learned to play the dombra and practiced national dances. We often traveled to national and international contests with our teachers and group.

So why did you ultimately choose engineering?
I have always been fascinated by the intersection of biology and engineering, and inspired by the idea of seeing the results of my work. For instance, devices I have developed for disease diagnostics and drug screening can significantly improve people’s quality of life.

Amanzhol, why was it necessary for you to study at YDL?
I was working on data analysis for my Master’s thesis at the time and knew I would continue conducting research in the biomedical field. For this, I needed skills in automating data analysis, programming in Python, and working with statistics.

What helped you win the competition?
Several years have passed since then… I believe the key to my victory was having clear goals and understanding exactly why I needed these skills. It is important to clearly define your expectations and have a specific project where you can immediately apply the knowledge you gain. That really helps in passing the YDL selection process. Also, before applying, make sure you will be able to fully commit to the Program.

How was the training at the Summer School, what did you study, and what skills did you acquire?
The training was intensive and conducted online due to the pandemic. We listened to the lectures, completed assignments under the guidance of experts, and worked much in teams on projects. For me, the most valuable part was acquiring skills in data preprocessing and cleaning with Python, as well as applying machine learning algorithms for analysis and interpretation of results.

What are you currently doing, and what are your plans for the near future?
In April 2021, I moved to Basel, Switzerland, to begin my doctoral studies at ETH Zurich. The adaptation process was relatively smooth, partly owing to the experience I gained at the YDL School. The skills I acquired there I apply in my current research work. At present, I am developing new models to study antimicrobial resistance using human organoids and microfluidic technologies. I plan to continue research in this field and work toward the implementation of these technologies in clinical practice.

Amanzhol, what are you interested in besides your area of specialization?
I really enjoy traveling, staying active through sports, and hiking. During my studies in South Korea, my work-life balance leaned heavily toward the former. So now I am making up for lost time – I try to get more rest and enjoy my free time.