Aray Saniyazova

Aray Saniyazova is a Researcher affiliated with Nazarbayev University and the National Research University Higher School of Economics. She holds a PhD in Education from Nazarbayev University (2017) and a Master’s from Vanderbilt University (2011). Her work focuses on student experience, gender in education, and institutional development of universities. She contributed to the Nazarbayev University Strategy 2030 and co-authored studies on Kazakhstani higher education reforms. Currently, she advises the Department of Student Services at Nazarbayev University and serves as a postdoctoral researcher at HSE’s Institute of Education.

Education:

• PhD in Education, Nazarbayev University, 2017
• Master of Education, Vanderbilt University, 2011
• Specialist Degree, East Kazakhstan State University, 2000

Research Interests: Student academic integration, doctoral education, gender equity in education, and university institutional development. Her work bridges policy analysis and qualitative research on student transitions and institutional strategies.

Key Projects:

• Co-Investigator on Graduate Student Parents’ Experience in Kazakhstan (2018–present)
• Contributor to the Improvement of the Secondary Education Curriculum of Kazakhstan (2014–2016)
• Advisor to Nazarbayev University’s strategic planning initiatives

Awards:

• CIES New Scholars Merit Travel Grant (2016)
• EERA Emerging Researchers Travel Grant (2017)
• BOLASHAK Presidential Scholarship (2008)

Labs/Teams: Active in the Center for Studies in Higher Education (UC Berkeley) and the Institute of Education (HSE). Collaborates with international networks like the Consortium of Gender Scholars and Comparative International Education Society.