INP Leadership

Education

In 1987 graduated from Shymkent High School.

In 1992 graduated from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU) with a degree in Physics.

In 1995 completed his full-time postgraduate studies at KazNU.

In 1998, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and in 2008, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, focusing on the properties of light nuclei in three-particle potential models.

In 2024, he was awarded the title of Associate Professor in his specialty.

Career

From 1995 to 2000, he worked as a senior lecturer in the Department of Theoretical Physics at KazNU.

From 2000 to 2004, he held the positions of chief specialist, department head, deputy department head, and department head at the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2004, he served as an advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In 2005, he headed the Human Resources and Organizational Work Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

From 2005 to 2013, he headed various departments of the central office of the People's Democratic Party "Nur Otan."

From 2013 to 2015, he served as President of the Scientific and Educational Institution Kazakhstan University of Innovation and Telecommunication Systems (KazIITU).

From 2015 to 2016, he was General Director of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, a state-owned enterprise under the Right of Economic Management, under the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In 2016, he was re-elected as President of the Scientific and Educational Institution "KazIITU."

From 2017 to 2020, he worked at Abai Kazakh National University, heading the Science Department; from 2020 to 2021, he served as Vice Rector for Research and Digitalization.

In 2021, he headed the Agrotechnological Hub of the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University.

In 2022, he was appointed Director General of the Institute of Nuclear Physics, a position he currently holds.

In 2024, he was appointed an independent director of the board of directors of Ulba Metallurgical Plant JSC, a subsidiary of NAC Kazatomprom JSC.

Key scientific achievements

Under the leadership of Sayabek Sakhiyev, a modern scientific field has been formed and is actively developing at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Currently, he is engaged in research in the field of inertial-magnetic thermonuclear fusion based on a high-current Z-pinch in combination with a powerful femtosecond laser. To further in-depth interdisciplinary research at the interface of plasma physics, laser and nuclear physics, and shock wave physics, close contacts have been established with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN, Geneva), the International Science and Technology Center, the International Intergovernmental Organization "Joint Institute for Nuclear Research" (Dubna), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Boston, USA), the Institut Laue-Langevin (Grenoble, France), the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (Sicily, Italy), Fermilab (Chicago, USA), the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Karlsruhe, Germany), and others.

Sayabek Sakhiyev has solved a wide range of applied problems aimed at developing nuclear technologies in Kazakhstan:

• modernization of the experimental facilities and infrastructure of the INP was carried out, providing new opportunities for research into nuclear reactions and materials;
• methods for training personnel for the nuclear energy sector were developed and implemented, allowing Kazakhstan to independently provide expertise in the operation of future nuclear power plants;
• under his leadership, candidate and PhD dissertations were defended, and highly qualified scientific personnel in nuclear physics were trained;
• projects for the development of nuclear technologies for medicine were initiated, including research related to the use of neutrons and radioisotopes.

Under the initiative and scientific leadership of Sayabek Sakhiyev, the Institute of Nuclear Physics has strengthened its role as a key scientific center in the country.
Considerable attention is being paid to international cooperation, infrastructure development, the development of a scientific environment, and the training of new generations of specialists.

Awards and achievements

2005 — Awarded a medal dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

2008 — Awarded a medal dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Astana.

2010 — Awarded the "Belsendі kyzmetty ushin" badge of the People's Democratic Party "Nur Otan"

2011 — Awarded a medal dedicated to the "20th Anniversary of the Republic of Kazakhstan."

2012 — Awarded the "Eren enbegі ushin" medal for labor achievements in economics, social affairs, science, culture, and public service.

2025 — Awarded one of the highest state awards, the "Parassat" Order, for his significant contribution to the development of the country's spiritual and intellectual potential.

Major Works

He has co-authored over 90 scientific papers. He is the author of 8 textbooks, 5 of which ("Quantum Mechanics" Volumes 1 and 2, "Elementary Physics of Nuclear Physics", "Fundamentals of vector and tensor analysis") were published by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He supervised a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences (2005) and five PhD students, and is also the supervisor of PhD students and master's students in the specialty "Nuclear Physics". In 2014, S. Sakhiyev won the "Best University Teacher" competition.