CV
Professional experience
2020 - Present – Researcher and Senior Lecturer, Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
2018–2020 – Chief Specialist of Commercial Directorate, International Information Technology University.
2017–2018 – Chief Specialist of Almaty Youth Policy Department.
2014–2016 – Biology Teacher in M. Makatayev School-Gymnasium No. 140.
Education
2025 – Defended a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the 8D05105 Biotechnology educational program entitled “Isolation and screening of potential strains of cyanobacteria-producers of valuable pigments for obtaining biologically active additives.”
2020–2023 – Doctoral studies in the 8D05105 Biotechnology educational program, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
2014–2016 – Master’s degree in Biotechnology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
2010–2014 – Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology with honors, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University.
Professional development and research internships
2015 — Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Department of Bioengineering, Germany (10–25 June).
2022 — Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Třeboň/Prague (25 May–25 August).
2024 — COMSTECH training: Vaccine Development and Production, PT Biofarma; Pharmacogenomics and Antigen Design, Padjadjaran University, Indonesia (July).
2024 — Tokyo Science University, Japan (8–17 November).
2025 — Universiti Sains Malaysia, School of Industrial Technology (3–20 June).
2025–2026 — Bolashak research internship, The Ohio State University, USA (one year).
Scientific and professional activities
Principal Investigator of a research project funded under the Zhas Galym program for young scientists (2024–2026); research and teaching activities in phototrophic microorganism biotechnology.
ORCID: 0000-0002-4340-8749; Scopus Author ID: 57560350900; Web of Science ResearcherID: AGO-0562-2022.
Research interests
Microalgal and cyanobacterial biodiversity, pigments and bioactive metabolites; phototrophic microbial biotechnology, biohydrogen, biofuels, biostimulants and immunomodulatory activity.
Research project (grant funding)
2024–2026 | AP22685516 | “Obtaining pigments from phototrophic microorganisms and studying their immunomodulatory properties and antibacterial activity” — Principal Investigator under the Zhas Galym grant funding program for young scientists.
International collaboration
Research internships and collaboration involving The Ohio State University (USA), the Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Tokyo Science University, and institutions in Indonesia.
Publication record
More than 20 scientific works, including four patents and 11 international journal articles (as stated in the supplied research profile). Scopus h-index: 4; 108 citations for the period reported in the profile.
Selected publications
Sandybayeva, S.K. et al. Prospects of cyanobacterial pigment production: Biotechnological potential and optimization strategies. Biochemical Engineering Journal 187 (2022), 108640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bej.2022.108640
Sandybayeva, S.K. et al. Isolation, Identification and Pigment Analysis of Novel Cyanobacterial Strains from Thermal Springs. Plants 13 (2024), 2951. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13212951
Kakimova, A.B. et al. Fatty Acids Profile of Novel Cyanobacterial Strains Isolated from Extreme Ecosystems as A Biodiesel Feedstock. ES Energy & Environment 27 (2025), 1394. https://doi.org/10.30919/esee1394
Sandybayeva, S.K. et al. Cyanobacterial Biofactories Beyond Model Strains: Exploratory Screening of Immunomodulatory Activity in Phormidium ambiguum Extracts. Plants 15 (2026), 33. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15010033
Sandybayeva, S.K. et al. Engineering strategies to enhance microalgal pigment production: from stress physiology to industrial application. Functional Plant Biology 53 (2026), FP26058. https://doi.org/10.1071/FP26058