Dr. Damira Kanayeva is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at Nazarbayev University, where she has been a founding faculty member since 2011. In the University's early years, she served as Acting Director of the Interdisciplinary Instrumental Center, playing a key role in establishing its research infrastructure and building the laboratory facilities that now underpin research and doctoral training across the department. Her research focuses on aptamer selection, characterization, and application to the development of electrochemical aptasensors for the rapid and reliable detection of pathogens and biomarkers, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, SARS-CoV-2, and cancer-associated antigens. This work, carried out in collaboration with national and international partners, has led to high-impact publications in peer-reviewed international journals and a granted patent for aptamer-based tuberculosis detection.

As a mentor and educator, Dr. Kanayeva has supervised PhD and MSc graduates as well as postdoctoral researchers, and teaches across undergraduate and graduate programs in microbiology, molecular biology, food microbiology, and synthetic biology. Her commitment to student development extends beyond the laboratory: an undergraduate team she advised earned a silver medal at the 2015 iGEM World Jamboree in Boston, USA, and her doctoral students have received awards at international research competitions. She also serves as faculty advisor for NU SciPod, a student-run scientific podcast. 

Her research and service have been recognized with the Academician Nailya Bazanova Medal from the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2026) and the Distinguished Researcher in Natural Sciences award from the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan (2021). She completed her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Arkansas (USA) as a recipient of the "Bolashak" Presidential Scholarship — Kazakhstan's prestigious government award supporting doctoral study abroad.

Dr. Kanayeva teaches across undergraduate and graduate levels, with a focus on microbiology, molecular biology, food microbiology, and synthetic biology. Her courses integrate research-based learning, equipping students with both foundational knowledge and practical laboratory skills. She also serves as Chair of the Curriculum Committee in the Department of Biology, contributing to the ongoing development and review of academic programs.

Undergraduate courses
BIOL 241 Special Topics in Synthetic Biology
BIOL 305/305L Introduction to Microbiology (Lecture & Laboratory)
BIOL 450/450L Food Microbiology (Lecture & Laboratory)
BIOL 492 Directed Study in Biology

Graduate courses
BIOL 560/860 Molecular Biology of Prokaryotic Cells
BIOL 600 Graduate Seminar Series