Dr. Aziz Burkhanov's research interests include nationalism and identity theories, and national identity politics, policies, and practices, with a special focus on identity issues and their perceptions in the public narratives in the former Soviet area. He has worked in policy analysis and consulting as a Research Fellow at the IWEP, a think-tank advising the Kazakhstan government on policies, and as a Senior Associate at IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA).

Dr Serik Orazgaliyev has been with GSPP since 2016 and is currently an Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) country chapter in Kazakhstan. He taught in the Asian Universities Alliance (AUA) Lecture Series, attended by students from thirteen AUA universities in China, Japan, India, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore, UAE, and other countries. He was awarded NU Teaching Award in 2022 in ‘Internationalization’ category.

He provided consultancy services to several government agencies in Kazakhstan, Asian Development Bank as well as for UNDP and OECD-led projects.

Dr. Murodbek Laldjebaev's research is aimed at a better understanding of and identifying ways to address pressing societal challenges emanating from human-environmental relations, where humans impact the environment and are impacted by the environment. The driving question is: How can humans improve their lives while using natural resources sustainably? Within the sustainability challenge, his research looks at energy (security, poverty), environmental externalities (waste, pollution), and local indigenous knowledge (medicinal plants). His teaching aims to raise participants’ awareness of human-environmental relations and the mutual impacts thereof to inculcate an environmental ethic of responsible living within nature and motivate them to take action to address sustainability challenges. A related goal is to help participants develop as informed and engaged citizens ready to tackle the challenges in their societies.

He provided consultancy services to several government agencies in Kazakhstan and the Asian Development Bank, as well as for UNDP and OECD-led projects.