Prof. Zhumabay Bakenov received his Doctor of Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. He is currently a Professor of Chemical and Materials Engineering at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan and also serves as a Director of Center for Energy and Advanced Materials Science of National Laboratory Astana. His research focuses on new materials for next generation energy conversion and storage.

Awards:  2021 – “Best Researcher Award” by the Government of Kazakhstan, 2020 – Web of Science Award “Leader of Science” (in nanotechnology), 2019 – Scopus Award “Researcher of the Year”, 2017 Award of Springer Nature “Springer Nature Top Authors”, State Medal of Kazakhstan "For Excellence in Labour" (2017), National Award for the Best Patent of the Year “Shapagat” (2016), Marie Curie Fellow, Medal of the Government of Kazakhstan “For Contribution to Development of Science in Kazakhstan” (Dec. 2014), the 2015 Award “Science Leader” by the Thomson Reuters – National Center for Scientific and Technical Information, PI of Project from Kazakhstan at the National Pavilion at EXPO-2017, the 2010 Award of Ceramic Society of Japan for series of work in battery field (with Prof. I. Taniguchi). 

Research projects participation: industrial and national projects in Japan (Nissan Motor Co., Nihon Oil Fat Co.; New Energy Development Organization, NEDO, Japan), Kazakhstan and Canada (the Government and private companies); European Union FP7 Project, British Council, Kazakhstan State Commercialization Programs, etc.; Successfully accomplished a State Targeted Program as a PI (Ministry of Education and Science, 2017-2019), PI of State Targeted Program (Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, 2021-2023), PI and Co-PI of several projects in materials science, renewable energy, environmental engineering and life sciences from the international and national governmental and private/industry funds, Commercialization Project from Nazarbayev University, two Commercialization Projects from the World Bank – the Government of Kazakhstan, National and industrial projects; a winner of the British Council Travel Grant (March 2015) in cooperation with the Imperial College (UK).

Research Supervision: Currently supervising the first and largest at NU international Research Group in advanced energy storage systems and functional nanomaterials (including ten NU faculty and senior researchers of SEDS and National Laboratory Astana, postdoctoral researchers, several NU graduates, PhD, master and undergraduate students) and international visiting researchers; Director of Research Center, more than 30 years of experience of supervision of groups of researchers, research laboratories; successfully supervised more than 20 graduate students, and tens of undergraduate students; currently supervising and co-supervising five PhD students in Kazakhstan and internationally.

Material science and engineering, chemical engineering, nanotechnology, electrochemistry; advanced rechargeable batteries; electrochemical sensors; catalysis; grid energy storage; synthesis of functional nanomaterials