Queen’s Business School (QBS) was delighted to host four distinguished visiting scholars from Kazakhstan during the 2024–25 academic year, as part of the prestigious Bolashak 500 Scholars programme. The initiative, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, enables academics to undertake international placements to enhance their research capabilities and global engagement.

This year, QBS welcomed:

• Dinara Tumabekova – Almaty Management University
• Miras Dolayev – Almaty Management University
• Alisher Sansyzbayev – Narxoz University
• Moldir Mukan – Narxoz University

Each scholar brought unique expertise and enthusiasm to the QBS community, engaging in collaborative research, academic development, and cross-cultural exchange.

Alex Wilson, Director of Internationalisation at QBS, commented:

“It is a pleasure to work with talented scholars from some of the top universities in Kazakhstan. QBS thrives on these international collaborations, especially so when scholars can spend an extended time immersed in research activities at Queen’s. We provide mentorship, training and development opportunities throughout the visit and I’m delighted that our scholars were able to develop and present research papers for competitive peer-reviewed conferences as part of their visit. We wish our visiting scholars every success as they take the next steps in their academic and professional journeys.”

The scholars participated in a tailored development programme, which included mentorship from QBS academics, research training through the Graduate School, and opportunities to present their work at international conferences.

Reflections from the Scholars

Moldir Mukan shared:

“The year at Queen’s has flown by very quickly. This year allowed me to expand my professional network, engage in meaningful academic discussions and become a co-author of several articles. I also experienced personal growth through living and doing research in Belfast. I successfully won a postdoctoral project in Kazakhstan with the help of our supervisor, Yerzhan Tokbolat. Overall, it has been a milestone in my academic journey.”

Alisher Sansyzbayev reflected:

“My one-year experience as a Visiting Scholar at Queen’s University Belfast has been productive and inspiring. I conducted research in finance, presented a working paper at academic conferences, and became a grant holder under the Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The supportive academic environment at Queen’s helped me strengthen my research and broaden my perspective.”

Yerzhan Tokbolat, Lecturer at QBS and academic mentor to the scholars, said:

“It has been a real privilege to host our visiting scholars from SEM Narxoz University and Almaty Management University over the past year. They have brought great energy and commitment to Queen’s Business School — enriching our teaching, collaborating on research, and becoming true colleagues and friends. I am especially proud to see their hard work recognised with international conference presentations and new research funding as they return to Kazakhstan.”

Queen’s Business School extends its sincere thanks to the Bolashak International Scholarship Programme and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan for their continued support. We look forward to future collaborations and to welcoming more scholars in the years ahead.