Meet the team
Duncan Priestley | General Director of Institutional Effectiveness
Email: duncan.priestley@nu.edu.kz
Phone: + 7 (7172) 70 90 51
Dr Duncan Priestley joined Nazarbayev University in October 2013 as Head of Academic Quality Enhancement in the Office of the Provost. He currently holds responsibility for Institutional Effectiveness, including quality assurance and enhancement, institutional research, and institutional evaluation/accreditation. He has also acted Vice-Dean Teaching and Learning in the School of Engineering.
His academic qualifications include a BSc (Hons) in Geology from the University of Liverpool, a Postgraduate Degree in Education and a PhD in Acoustical Oceanography from the University of Hull. After twenty years’ experience in UK universities and naval academies, he spent three years in Abu Dhabi as Associate Dean of the UAE Naval Academy.
He was a founding member of the Centre for Oceanographic Research and Education at the University of Plymouth, and his scientific research focuses on the applications of acoustics in the shallow ocean. Recent studies have examined the impact of atmospheric and oceanographic variability on both sonar and radar propagation in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman. His research interests also include teaching, learning and academic quality in the international higher education context.
Aizhan Mussina | Director of Institutional Performance
Email: amussina@nu.edu.kz
Phone: + 7 (7172) 70 61 36
Dr Matthew Courtney | Head of IR&A
Email: matthew.courtney@nu.edu.kz
Phone number: + 7 (7172) 70 66 59
Dr Matthew Courtney (PhD, Education) serves as the Head of the IR&A unit. Dr. Courtney is an educational assessment expert, psychometrician, and statistical software developer from New Zealand. His PhD focused on identifying the predictors of international university student success and completion across Australasia. After completing his PhD, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at The University of Auckland for two years in the Quantitative Data Analysis Research unit at the Faculty of Education. Thereafter, he worked as a Research Fellow in the Assessment Research Center at The University of Melbourne. Prior to joining the IR&A unit, he has worked for three and a half years as an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Education, NU. Dr Courtney has published extensively in fields of student learning, assessment, statistical software development, and curricula evaluation and remains committed to advancing institutional research and effectiveness in Central Asia.
Aigerim Baikenova | Senior Data Officer
Email: aigerim.baikenova@nu.edu.kz
Phone number: + 7 (7172) 70 90 18
Aigerim Baikenova serves as the Senior Data Officer within the Institutional Research & Analytics unit. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Kazakh-British Technical University and a Master's in IT Management from the University of Nottingham. Aigerim leads institutional data extraction, processing, and reporting to support strategic decision-making. She develops official statistics, dashboards, and data visualizations, ensures compliance with data governance policies, and collaborates with university stakeholders to enhance data infrastructure and accessibility.
Assel Zhakibayeva | Data Analyst
Email: assel.zhakibayeva@nu.edu.kz
Phone number: + 7 (7172) 70 89 69
Assel Zhakibayeva serves as Data Analyst within the Institutional Research and Analytics unit of Institutional Effectiveness, Office of the Provost. She is responsible for conducting analytical studies to support data-based academic decision making at Nazarbayev University.
Assel obtained a Master’s degree in Ecological Applications from Imperial College London. She worked on the implementation of the TIMSS assessment in Kazakhstan and analysing student achievements. Assel has extensive experience in the development and implementation of biology curricula and course plans, methodological materials and textbooks at the secondary level of education of the Republic of Kazakhstan and in the Centre for Educational Programmes - as a branch of AEO Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools.
Diana Kalemeneva | Survey Coordinator
Email: diana.kalemeneva@nu.edu.kz
Phone number: +7 (7172) 70-58-78
Diana Kalemeneva coordinates the development, implementation, and oversight of university-wide strategic surveys covering applicants, students, alumni, and employees.
She manages the institutional survey calendar, reviews and supports administrative survey proposals, and ensures alignment with internal policies and strategic priorities. She also analyzes both quantitative and qualitative data, prepares reports, and develops resources and guidelines to promote high-quality survey practices across the University. She also contributes to the development of survey-related policies and guidelines, and supports capacity-building efforts by facilitating workshops and curating resources on effective survey design and analysis.
Diana is the point of contact for survey approvals, timelines, and reporting needs.
Aliya Suleimenova | Associate Director of Academic Quality and AccreditationEmail: aliya.suleimenova@nu.edu.kz
Phone number: + 7 (7172) 70 90 50
Aliya Suleimenova leads the strategic development and ongoing enhancement of the institutional quality framework and associated strategies and policies, oversees implementation of institutional accreditation requirements and recommendations by relevant stakeholders, leads implementation and further enhancements of the curriculum management digital system. Aliya provides guidance and expertise to NU program leaders for maintaining the life cycle of academic programs, including program design, annual monitoring and provides consultancy support to the academic community with regard to academic quality enhancement procedures related to micro-credentials and non-credit bearing courses. Aliya is often involved in sharing NU experience with Kazakhstani educational organizations by delivering professional development sessions and providing consultancy on establishing and managing academic quality system.
Aliya Tuskeyeva| Academic Quality and Accreditation Manager
Email: aliya.tuskeyeva@nu.edu.kz
Phone number: + 7 (7172) 70 26 58
Aliya Tuskeyeva conducts operational management and monitoring of the implementation of the Academic Quality Framework (AQF) and associated processes in accordance with institutional academic policies and international practices in higher education. She coordinates the processes related to accreditation, implements and manages the CurrIQunet project by building and maintaining the course and program database. Moreover, Aliya acts as a point of contact for NU Schools and external stakeholders on matters associated with academic quality enhancement and accreditation. She is involved in supporting student engagement in academic quality enhancement.
