Dr. Damira Kanayeva joined Nazarbayev University in 2011. Since then she has been actively involved in teaching, research, and service as well. Dr. Kanayeva established research direction in the field of biosensors and biodetection at NU, which represents a promising option for developing reliable, simple, and affordable tools for the effective detection of pathogens. She is an advisor of several undergraduate and graduate students, who are actively pursuing their degrees in the field of biomedical engineering. Undergraduate team of biology students supervised by Dr. Kanayeva received bronze (2014) and silver (2015) medals in a worldwide synthetic biology competition iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine). She is the PI of ongoing state target program as well as grants. In a short period, Dr. Kanayeva and her colleagues managed to establish a high-potential research center, Interdisciplinary Instrumental Center, which became a home for many bright researchers from various fields. She is also a member of professional societies (American Society for Microbiology, International Society for Optics and Photonics, and others) and honorary organizations such as Phi Kappa Phi (USA). She received her Ph.D. degree in cell and molecular biology from University of Arkansas (USA) with biosensors being a primary focus of her studies. Currently, Dr. Kanayeva holds position of an assistant professor in the Department of Biology, School of Science and Technology at Nazarbayev University.
