For the first time in the history of Nazarbayev University and Kazakhstan, a female undergraduate student has been accepted for a paid one-year internship at Airbus Defence and Space - a global aerospace company with offices in the United Kingdom.
Malika Amangeldyyeva, a second-year undergraduate student of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences (SEDS), will begin her internship on July 21, 2025, in Portsmouth, UK, as part of the Transformation & Performance department. The internship will run for exactly one year — until July 21, 2026.
Malika is the first student from NU and Kazakhstan, and notably, the first woman in STEM from the country to receive such an opportunity from Airbus. The company is known for its highly competitive selection process and rarely offers placements to undergraduate students — particularly those from Central Asia.
Ten candidates made it to the final round. Malika was the only one from Kazakhstan to receive an offer.
“I first heard about international internship opportunities from students who had interned at companies like Mercedes,” Malika shares. “Their experiences inspired me to try. I began checking company websites and came across a position at Airbus that perfectly matched my interests.”
The selection process involved several stages, including submitting application documents, an interview, and a presentation about her personal achievements. Malika highlighted her participation in NU Motorsports, a student engineering team, and her previous internship at a mining company.
This internship at Airbus Defence and Space is a fully paid, hands-on engineering role. Malika will be involved in improving performance across technical processes and is expected to collaborate with units like Payload AIT, which focuses on satellite integration and testing.
“This is a chance to understand how large, international engineering companies operate. I hope to develop not just technical skills, but also project-oriented thinking,” Malika says. “It’s a major step for my professional growth.”
Malika’s story is a powerful reminder that career-defining opportunities can begin as early as the second year of university - even at places like Airbus.
Malika Amangeldyyeva, a second-year undergraduate student of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences (SEDS), will begin her internship on July 21, 2025, in Portsmouth, UK, as part of the Transformation & Performance department. The internship will run for exactly one year — until July 21, 2026.
Malika is the first student from NU and Kazakhstan, and notably, the first woman in STEM from the country to receive such an opportunity from Airbus. The company is known for its highly competitive selection process and rarely offers placements to undergraduate students — particularly those from Central Asia.
Ten candidates made it to the final round. Malika was the only one from Kazakhstan to receive an offer.
“I first heard about international internship opportunities from students who had interned at companies like Mercedes,” Malika shares. “Their experiences inspired me to try. I began checking company websites and came across a position at Airbus that perfectly matched my interests.”
The selection process involved several stages, including submitting application documents, an interview, and a presentation about her personal achievements. Malika highlighted her participation in NU Motorsports, a student engineering team, and her previous internship at a mining company.
This internship at Airbus Defence and Space is a fully paid, hands-on engineering role. Malika will be involved in improving performance across technical processes and is expected to collaborate with units like Payload AIT, which focuses on satellite integration and testing.
“This is a chance to understand how large, international engineering companies operate. I hope to develop not just technical skills, but also project-oriented thinking,” Malika says. “It’s a major step for my professional growth.”
Malika’s story is a powerful reminder that career-defining opportunities can begin as early as the second year of university - even at places like Airbus.