INTRODUCING THE 2026 INTERNSHIP WINNERS

The competition ran from November 7 to December 12. At the first stage, the employees and members of the expert council of the Yessenov Foundation selected the 36 most deserving candidates based on their applications and submitted documents. This was followed by online interviews. In total, 196 applicants submitted their entries for the competition this year. Only 10 of them became grant recipients.

“We traditionally conduct both individual and group interviews. While during the individual ones it’s still possible to present yourself as better than you actually are, during group interviews – within the group dynamics and while completing collaborative tasks – candidates often reveal unexpected sides of themselves,” says Yelena Amreyeva, trainer and psychologist, commenting on the competition process. “This year’s selection process stood out due to a large number of strong candidates, with a growing share of them coming from regional universities. Some of the candidates are physicians aiming to combine clinical practice with scientific research. There were several applicants from al-Farabi Kazakh National University who had consulted with a past winner of this program – he shared his internship experience and its value. As a result, these candidates were highly driven and motivated. There was a participant who didn’t pass the competition last year and admitted that that failure taught her a lot. She spent the entire year learning from her mistakes. And although the young woman did not receive the grant this year either, it is evident that she has changed significantly. Today, she is simply a qualitatively different person, and it is important that she herself has noticed this,” added Yelena.

During the interviews, specialists from the Yessenov Foundation assess the candidates’ ability to clearly and persuasively present their own point of view, their capacity to perceive and analyze new information, communication skills, leadership qualities, adaptability and the ability to find non-standard solutions, professional competence, self-criticism, determination, flexibility, and even their level of empathy, emotional intelligence, and courtesy. So, who are the winners that will be doing internships at the world’s leading laboratories in 2026?

Amina Shaikym, 26, is a research fellow at SDU in Kaskelen. For her, it is especially important that the Foundation’s internship grant she has won enables her to join a laboratory researching the use of artificial intelligence in education.

“I need to learn how to evaluate AI systems, study international standards, work with leading researchers, and see how scientific infrastructure is built in successful projects. The internship will allow me to prepare for a PhD program and bring modern practices to Kazakhstan,” says Amina.

Adel Stoyanova, originally from the village of Baidaly in the Akmola region, is studying pathology during her internship at Nazarbayev University. She shared the following.

“My current project focuses on the molecular mechanisms of HIV and HPV coinfection and their role in the development of oncological diseases – a field that remains unstudied in Kazakhstan. Conducting this research requires practical skills in working with high-throughput equipment. That is precisely why I am going abroad.”

19-year-old Musа Aliyev from Uralsk, the youngest winner of the Yessenov Foundation Research Internships competition, is a third-year student at the same university as Adel. His passion lies in engineering and robotics.

“I would like to study the structure and design of humanoid robots, as well as other robotic systems such as exoskeletons, prostheses, and others, created to assist people with special needs. I focus on developing efficient actuators for these systems and on their mechanical and electronic design,” shares Musа.

Daniil Gerasimov, a third-year student at Kozybayev University in Petropavlovsk, studies biotechnology and describes his internship goals as follows.

“I would like to learn applied bioinformatics methods for analyzing genomic data, as well as modern approaches in genetic engineering and molecular selection,” says Daniil.

Timur Yerlanov, a 21‑year‑old master’s student at KazNU, would like to travel to Japan and “work in a laboratory at the University of Tokyo on developing a quality‑control indicator for amorphous pharmaceuticals and to establish contacts with the university’s professors,” as Timur plans to pursue his PhD at the same institution.

Murat Kozhanov submitted his application from Karaganda, where he works as a research associate at KTU. “I want to focus on applying AI in industry. This involves forecasting methods, optimizing production processes, and creating digital twins,” says Murat.

The knowledge he gains will enable him to develop solutions for improving the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of Kazakhstani enterprises.

Ramazan Kazhdanbekov, a master’s student at KazNU from Baikonur, knows exactly what he will focus on during his internship funded by a Yessenov Foundation grant. Our 22-year-old compatriot, deeply committed to science, plans to devote his time to the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of nanostructured materials. Why?

“To develop more advanced systems for monitoring water and air quality, and to deepen my understanding of the field to later apply this knowledge to wastewater and air purification research in Kazakhstan,” explains Ramazan.

This year, several research fellows are among the winners of the Program. Dimash Davletov from Asfendiyarov KazNMU is one of them. What is his goal?

“To join a neurosurgical research team working on Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) implantation or electrocorticography,” says Dimash.

Dimash aims to gain hands-on experience in mastering a brain signal decoding and interpretation system. The Yessenov Foundation internship will also pave his way into international laboratories, as well as PhD and residency programs. In 2024, Dimash won the Yessenov Data Lab Program and completed training at the Foundation’s Summer School for Data Analysts.

Here’s what Daut Nurlanov, a second-year student at the Department of Computer Science at Nazarbayev University, shared.

“I’m 20 years old, and I am from Aktobe. During the internship, I will study AI systems designed for people with brain disorders.”

Third-year student and aspiring mathematician Medet Dzhumadildayev (21) admitted to us that his goal is to learn how to quickly determine which roads can be used to travel from one city to another, what the shortest route is, and how many different routes exist. This is just one example illustrating the types of problems studied in graph theory and combinatorics – the areas of mathematics he is deeply interested in.

All winners of the Yessenov Foundation competition receive a grant that fully covers the expenses related to their internships, including visa fees, travel, accommodation, and meals. The recipients have already begun searching for laboratories where, in the summer or autumn of 2026, they will gain invaluable experience and reach a new level of personal and professional growth.

The Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation’s competition for research internships in leading laboratories around the world has been held since 2013. The Program is open to citizens of Kazakhstan who are undergraduate, master’s, or internship students, as well as current researchers studying or working at Kazakhstani institutions and specializing in technical or natural sciences. The competition takes place every autumn. To date, more than 130 winners of the Program have completed research internships in the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Malaysia, South Korea, Switzerland, France, the United States, and other countries.