The future of technology is in the hands of women: Sapar Shalabayev spoke about the contribution of Satbayev University scientists and teachers

Sapar Shalabayev, Vice-Rector for Administrative, Social and Educational Work, delivered an inspiring speech at the annual Women in Business 2025 forum on the contribution of women to science and education. Vice-Rector shared with the audience the achievements of famous women and the university's approach to supporting women's ideas and innovations, noting the importance of creative skills in STEM education, digitalization of education and the introduction of elaborations in industry.

Today we are publishing an excerpt from Sapar Shalabayev's speech at the Women in Business 2025 forum:

Satbayev University is not just a higher educational institution. It is a laboratory of ideas, a space for experiments and startups, a place where the motto Think different and a different view of the world flourish. And women scientists, teachers, and specialists make a great contribution to this atmosphere of talent and innovation.

Almost a thousand people, 58% of university employees are women.  Satbayev University’s women conduct research in the fields of materials science, artificial intelligence, energy and engineering, develop innovative projects and implement advanced teaching methods. Their work is recognized at international conferences, and their developments are being applied in industry and future technologies.

For 65 years now, one of the most amazing scientists in Kazakhstan has been working at Satbayev University – Professor Marzhan Nurpeissova, a researcher who went down in history as a scientist who prepared and defended her doctoral thesis in the official language for the first time. This honored woman, a mining engineer-surveyor, still descends into the mine by herself. She is a follower of A. J. Mashanov's scientific school of geo-mechanics, the author of many discoveries, and is still working to reduce the risks of manmade disasters and monitor processes taking place on the Earth's surface.

Solutions of University's academic affairs are headed by Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Raissa Uskenbayeva. Thanks to the efforts of this excellent organizer of education, Satbayev University has become one of the first universities in the republic to give its students access to the best Coursera IT courses. Raissa Kabiyevna also started her career at Satbayev University in 1981. Under her leadership, the university opened a PhD program in Software Engineering. The quality of education at the university, which remains high, is the subject of her tireless concerns.

And these are just two examples of hundreds of amazing stories that show how much women bring to the work of Kazakhstan’s first Technical University.

The great geologist Kanysh Satpayev, who laid the foundation for the country's industrial industry and economy, said: "In addition to keen observation of facts, a geologist must also have considerable creative imagination to recreate the original, true text of individual pages of this Great Book of Nature from disparate, sometimes complex and unclear fragments." At Satbayev University, we rely not only on imagination and creativity, but also on the full-fledged evolvement of all members of society. That is why the female perspective and support for women in science, technology and entrepreneurship occupies a special place in the university's strategy.

We are confident that innovative solutions elaborated by women are changing the world. Satbayev University creates all conditions to support women's entrepreneurship, technical education and scientific research. Our university has a growing number of female researchers, and graduates include successful businesswomen, engineers, developers, and startups. And we are all united by innovation, entrepreneurship, and the education of the future.