April 9-10, 2026
As a part of Nazarbayev University's 15th-year celebrations, we are excited to welcome you to the 2nd NU SEDS Annual Research Conference – "Transforming the Future of Engineering and Digital Sciences Research in Central Asia" – taking place on April 9-10, 2026. As in previous years, the event will be dedicated to celebrating Kazakhstan Science Workers' Day on April 12, honoring the vital contributions of scientists and researchers in Kazakhstan.
The Second Annual School of Engineering and Digital Sciences Research Conference is a significant event that brings together prominent researchers, academicians, and students. The conference theme, “Transforming the Future of Engineering and Digital Sciences Research in Central Asia” emphasizes the collaborative spirit that fosters research, creativity, and advancement.
The Conference focuses on five strategic research and development directions of SEDS to cultivate an intellectually stimulating environment aimed at developing collaborative solutions to the present and future challenges facing Central Asia:
- Energy, Materials and Sustainability
- Communications, Computation and Data Analytics
- Sustainability and the Built Environment
- Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
- Advanced Technologies for Manufacturing, Agriculture, Mining and Health
This multidisciplinary two days Conference offers insightful plenary sessions from distinguished speakers, enlightening debate by global and local experts, industry engagement, poster exhibition, 7MR competition, SEDS research excellence awards, workshops and talks by esteemed researchers.
- Dr. Hafiz Muhammad AliDistinguished Associate Professor and Director of Renewable Energy LaboratoryKing Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
- Dr. Igor AronsonHuck Chair Professor and Director of the Center for Mathematics of Living and Mimetic SystemsPennsylvania State University
- Prof. Zhai QiaAssociate Professor Zhai QianSoutheast University
- Prof. Long KongProfessorNorthwestern Polytechnical University
- Dr. Volodymyr TarabaraProfessorMichigan State University
- Prof. Slava RotkinProfessor of Engineering Science & MechanicsPenn State University
AI-Driven Transport Models and Their Role in Sustainable Urban Planning and City Traffic Management in Kazakhstan
Date and Time: TBA
Venue: TBA
This panel will spotlight cutting-edge perspectives on:
- AI-driven traffic modeling for forecasting demand and optimizing network performance
- AI-driven traffic prediction and congestion reduction
- Smart traffic control systems and real-time data integration
- Enhancing road safety through intelligent monitoring
- Optimizing public transport and multimodal mobility
- Data-informed urban planning for rapidly growing cities
- Mr. Aibol NsanovCEO
KazAeroSpace - Mr. Serik NurmetovFounder and Director
Innovation Consulting Group - Ms. Alua KulmurzinaProject Manager
Universal Tech Decisions LLP (UTD) - Ms. Adiya KarsybekNational Urban Planning Consultant UNDP
- Mr. Daulet AspanbetovDirector of R&D
Innovation Consulting Group
Inspiring research, empowering minds, shaping societal impact
For more information, please visit 7MR page.
- Graduate and Undergraduate students (National and International) currently enrolled at any university in Kazakhstan are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must confirm that the submitted research work is conducted by them and complies with academic integrity standards.
- In the first round, students are required to prepare a 7-minute video presentation of their research and submit it for review by the Committee. Seven shortlisted candidates will be selected to present their work (offline) during the finale scheduled for April 9-10, 2026, at Nazarbayev University.
- In case the shortlisted candidate is unable to participate, the next candidate in line will advance to the finale.
- The presentation should be delivered in English.
- The maximum number of slides should be limited to 7 slides.
- Presenters exceeding 7 minutes will be disqualified.
- For the competition, participants are required to use the presentation template provided.
- For the first round, please submit a 7-minute video-presentation using the required PPT template. The video should clearly show both the slides and the speaker. Please see the example.
- First Prize (300,000 tenge)
- Runner-Up (150,000 tenge)
- Best Undergraduate Researcher (75,000 tenge)
- Best Societal Impact (75,000 tenge)
- People’s choice award (100,000 tenge) (Audience voted)
| Research Poster Exhibition We are excited to welcome you to the Research Poster Exhibition where researchers from Kazakhstan are invited to display their latest research findings. Five templates have been designed to align with the SEDS Research Directions. Submit your poster
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SEDS Research Awards are given to SEDS students (graduate and undergraduate) to honor and recognize students' achievements. The award would be given to students for publishing in the top 10% of journals* (https://www.scopus.com/sources). To qualify for the award, the student must be the lead author**. For students publishing multiple papers in the top 10% of journals, only one research award will be given. Please note that the paper must be published during the year 2025 and the student’s affiliation must be with NU. The deadline for submission is March 10, 2026.
Please complete the form available at the following link.
Notes:
* The latest SCOPUS journal ranking would be used to find the top 10% journals.
** The co-authors (e.g., second or third authors) are also eligible for the research award if, in the published manuscript, it is clearly stated that these authors have equally contributed as the lead author.
Nazarbayev University School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
Astana city, Republic of Kazakhstan, 10 000
53, Kabanbay Batyr avenue, block 3