SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
1st Nazarbayev University International Conference
NutrIX 2026
Intelligent Nutrition and Food Systems for Precision Health
Venue: Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Dates: September 17 - 19, 2026
Language: English/Kazakh/Russian
Dates: September 17 - 19, 2026
Language: English/Kazakh/Russian
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NutrIX 2026
Intelligent Nutrition and Food Systems for Precision Health
The 1st International Conference on Intelligent Nutrition and Food Systems for Precision Health (NutrIX 2026) will take place from 17 to 19 September at Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan. NutrIX 2026 brings together data scientists, healthcare practitioners, international organisations, industry experts, policymakers, and researchers to explore how AI, digital technologies, and advanced food systems are transforming nutrition science and healthcare. The conference provides an interdisciplinary platform to discuss innovative approaches for enabling precision health and personalized nutrition solutions in Central Asia. In addition, NutrIX 2026 aims to foster collaboration among regional researchers and key stakeholders working across food and nutrition systems to develop food-based guidelines tailored to regional needs.
Important dates
- July 25, 2026Abstract submission deadline
- August 1, 2026Abstract acceptance notification
- August 20, 2026Registration deadline
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD
Prof. Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD, was Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA. His research focuses on nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, precision nutrition, and the interaction between diet and chronic disease risk across diverse populations. He has contributed extensively to advancing personalized nutrition approaches and integrating genomic data into public health nutrition and clinical practice. Prof. Kohlmeier is also widely recognized for his work in nutrition education, dietary assessment, and evidence-based nutrition policy.
Prof. Giuseppe Grosso, MD, PhD
Prof. Giuseppe Grosso, MD, PhD, is a Full Professor of Food and Dietetic Sciences at the University of Catania, Italy. His research explores nutritional epidemiology, dietary patterns, sustainable diets, and the relationship between nutrition and non-communicable diseases. He has led and contributed to numerous international studies on the Mediterranean diet, public health nutrition, and lifestyle-related disease prevention. Prof. Grosso is actively involved in translating nutrition science into evidence-based public health strategies.
Prof. Johan G. Eriksson
Prof. Johan G. Eriksson is a Full Professor at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the programme lead for the Human Potential Programme at the SOM, and the deputy executive director and programme director for Human Development at SICS, A*STAR. His work focuses on developmental origins of health and disease, healthy ageing, diabetes prevention, and translational approaches to population health. He has pioneered multidisciplinary cohort studies investigating how early-life and environmental factors influence lifelong metabolic health and human potential. Prof. Eriksson is internationally recognized for advancing precision public health and translational nutrition research. (Online presentation)
Prof. Ainash Sharshenova, MD, PhD, DMSci
Prof. Ainash Sharshenova, MD, PhD, DMSci, is Professor in the Department of Public Health at the International Higher School of Medicine in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Her academic and research activities focus on public health nutrition, epidemiology, maternal and child health, and healthcare systems strengthening in Central Asia. She has contributed to regional initiatives addressing nutrition transitions, disease prevention, and evidence-based public health policy. Prof. Sharshenova is actively engaged in advancing nutrition education and collaborative health research across the region.
Paul Barach, MD, MPH, Maj (ret.)
Paul Barach, MD, MPH, Maj (ret.), is Lecturer and Senior Advisor to the Dean at the Jefferson College of Population Health, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA. His work spans population health, patient safety, implementation science, healthcare quality improvement, and systems innovation. He has extensive experience in translating research into healthcare policy and practice, with a focus on improving health system performance and patient outcomes globally. Prof. Barach has advised international organizations and governments on strategies for healthcare transformation, resilience, and evidence-based implementation.
Gaukhar Zharylkasynova
Gaukhar Zharylkasynova is affiliated with the Bukhara State Medical Institute, Uzbekistan, where she contributes to initiatives in public health, nutrition, and medical education. Her work focuses on strengthening regional collaboration, advancing evidence-based health strategies, and supporting capacity building across Central Asia. She is involved in projects aimed at improving nutrition research, healthcare systems, and partnerships between academic institutions and public health stakeholders in the region.
Christopher J.L. Murray, MD, DPhil
Christopher J.L. Murray, MD, DPhil, is Director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, USA. He is internationally recognized for pioneering global health metrics, burden of disease analysis, and population health forecasting. His work has transformed the understanding of health trends, risk factors, and health system performance through large-scale data analytics and evidence generation. Prof. Murray leads multidisciplinary efforts to support data-driven decision-making and policy development for improving global and national health outcomes. (Online presentation)
Prof. Travis Masterson, PhD
Prof. Travis Masterson, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at The Pennsylvania State University, USA, and Director of the Health, Ingestive Behavior, and Technology (HIT) Laboratory. His research focuses on understanding and preventing the development of obesity in children and adults, utilizing technologies such as functional MRI, virtual reality, and large-scale online data mining to measure brain and behavioral responses to food cues. His work sits at the interface of nutrition, neurobiology, and behavior, with a particular focus on how technology and digital food marketing — including on platforms such as livestreaming services — influence eating behavior. He is the Broadhurst Career Development Professor for the Study of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Penn State, a recognition of the significant public health contribution of his research across education, public health, and policy. (Online presentation)
Prof. Mohsen Naghavi, MD, PhD, MPH
Prof. Mohsen Naghavi, MD, PhD, MPH, is Professor of Health Metrics Sciences and Director of Subnational Burden of Disease Estimation at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, USA. He leads the Institute's work on subnational analysis of disease burden in collaboration with international partners and country governments, and serves as GBD team leader for the causes of death, antimicrobial resistance, and skin diseases teams. He is also a member of the Global Burden of Disease Scientific Council. Since joining IHME, he has been central to estimating components of the Global Burden of Disease Study, with a sustained focus on the calculation of causes of death by age, sex, location, and year. Prior to IHME, he was a Research Fellow at the Harvard Initiative for Global Health and spent much of his career as a senior expert at Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education, where he headed the Applied Research Center for Health. In 2015 and 2016, he was named one of the world's most influential scientific minds by Thomson Reuters.
Prof. Chim Lang, MBChB, MD
Prof. Chim Lang, MBChB, MD, is Professor of Cardiology and Head of the Division of Cardiovascular Research at the University of Dundee, UK, and Consultant Cardiologist at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee. He also holds the Tuanku Muhriz Royal Chair at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. His research focuses on cardiovascular disease, with expertise spanning both cardiology and clinical pharmacology. He trained in the United Kingdom and the United States, where he was a Merck International Fellow in Clinical Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, and a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University, New York. He was formerly Professor of Cardiology and Deputy Dean for Research at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, where he founded the award-winning Clinical Investigation Centre. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Colleges of Physicians of London and Edinburgh, the American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology.
Bayurzhan Ospanov
Bayurzhan Ospanov, a Kazakhstani entrepreneur with diversified interests across agriculture and energy, brings practical experience in developing business ecosystems that support rural communities, including contributions to education and sports in different regions.
Zhanibek Kenzhebayev
Our conference also brings together field-specific professionals and practitioners whose work bridges research and real-world impact. Zhanibek Kenzhebayev, Chairman of the Turan Association, Head of Bereke Farm, and Founder of the Dala.Camp community, contributes a grounded perspective on rural life, agricultural leadership, and steppe-rooted community building in Kazakhstan.
Dr. Guoxun Chen
Dr. Guoxun Chen is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he also serves as Director of Graduate Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas in 2001, followed by postdoctoral training in the Department of Molecular Genetics under Nobel laureates Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein. In 2006, Dr. Chen joined the University of Tennessee as an Assistant Professor. His research focuses on the role of vitamin A in metabolic disease and the regulation of glucose and lipid homeostasis, building on his long-standing investigations into obesity and diabetes. He also serves as Chair of the Nutritional Science and Metabolism Interest Group of the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Chen has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in the fields of nutrition, metabolism, and diabetes. His research has been widely recognized and extensively cited.
John A. Rogers
John A. Rogers is an American physical chemist and materials scientist. He is the Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University, where he also serves as Director of the Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics. His research focuses on soft, bio-integrated materials and unconventional electronic and photonic devices, with applications in conformal and wearable bioelectronics, neural interfaces, and flexible sensors for clinical and neonatal care. He has authored approximately 1,000 scientific publications, which have received more than 250,000 citations, and is an inventor on over 100 patents. In addition, he has mentored more than 160 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who have gone on to hold faculty positions at universities around the world.
Dr. Mei Yen Chan
Chair, Organising Committee, NutrIX 2026
Dr. Mei Yen Chan serves as the Chair of the Organising Committee for the 1st Nazarbayev University International Conference on Intelligent Nutrition and Food Systems for Precision Health (NutrIX 2026). She leads the conference in bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, policymakers, industry experts, and international organisations to advance innovation in artificial intelligence, precision nutrition, and sustainable food systems in Central Asia.
Dr. Chan is an Assistant Professor at the Nazarbayev University School of Medicine. She was trained as a clinical dietitian at King's College London and obtained her PhD from the National University of Singapore School of Medicine. Her expertise spans clinical nutrition, chronic disease prevention and management, personalized nutrition, and food security.
Her current research focuses on intelligent nutrition systems, AI-driven personalized nutrition, and food security, with the vision of creating culturally appropriate, equitable, and sustainable nutrition solutions for all.
Dr. Chan is an Assistant Professor at the Nazarbayev University School of Medicine. She was trained as a clinical dietitian at King's College London and obtained her PhD from the National University of Singapore School of Medicine. Her expertise spans clinical nutrition, chronic disease prevention and management, personalized nutrition, and food security.
Her current research focuses on intelligent nutrition systems, AI-driven personalized nutrition, and food security, with the vision of creating culturally appropriate, equitable, and sustainable nutrition solutions for all.
Huseyin Atakan Varol
Co-Chair, Organising Committee, NutrIX 2026
Prof. Dr. Huseyin Atakan Varol is the Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee of the NutrIX 2026 International Conference, Department Chair, and Full Professor of Robotics at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan.
Since joining Nazarbayev University in 2011 as a founding Associate Professor of Robotics, Dr. Varol has played a leading role in advancing robotics and artificial intelligence research in Kazakhstan. He currently serves as the Director of the Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics Systems (ARMS) Laboratory and the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI).
His research focuses on biomechatronics, soft robotics, machine learning, intelligent systems, and tensegrity. Dr. Varol has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals and conferences and holds multiple international patents in the field of bionics.
His scientific contributions have been recognized internationally. He was a finalist for the KUKA Innovation Award (2014) and received the IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics Best Paper Award (2009) and the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Outstanding Paper Award (2013).
A Senior Member of IEEE, Dr. Varol serves as a Technical Editor of the IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics and regularly reviews manuscripts and grant proposals for leading international journals, conferences, and funding agencies.
NutrIX 2026 Topics
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AI and Systems Intelligence in Nutrition and Surveillance
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Precision and Personalized Nutrition at Scale
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Scalable Digital Analytics and Governance Framework
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Clinical and Healthcare Nutrition Innovation Advancing Population Health
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Quality Improvement, Implementation, Industry Translation, and Scale-Up
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Sustainable food system transitions and dietary shifts
- Dietary guidelines and food systems transformation
- Global food systems, sustainable diets, and agricultural biodiversity
Why participate?
Prepare to be inspired at NutrIX2026, the first international gathering at the forefront of AI, food and nutrition science in Central Asia.
At this year’s conference, you will:
- Hear from distinguished international keynote speakers and leading experts in the field
- Discover how AI and digital technologies are transforming population nutrition research and practice
- Connect with interdisciplinary professionals from academia, healthcare, policy, and industry
- Showcase your research to a global scientific audience
- Explore publication opportunities
- Engage with leading journal editors through interactive roundtable discussions
- Experience dynamic networking sessions and specially curated food and cultural events
Be part of the conversations shaping the future of nutrition science in Central Asia.
Call for Abstracts and Papers
Selected abstracts will be considered for publication (details to be announced).
Presentation Options:
Presentation Options:
Oral presentations are selected based on abstract review and scientific quality. Each presenter will have 7 minutes for presentation. This format allows you to present key findings to a broad audience and engage in scientific discussion.
Accepted abstracts will be scheduled as oral presentations. Selected abstracts, subject to technical and quality checks, will be published in the conference proceedings by Springer Nature. At least one author of each accepted submission must register for the conference and attend to present the work.
Abstract submission
* Please note that the conference registration fee does not include publication charges for conference proceedings.
* Abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference may be considered for publication in the conference proceedings, subject to peer review and editorial requirements. Authors whose abstracts are accepted for publication in the proceedings will be required to pay an additional publication fee (50,000 KZT, 100 USD).
* Publication fees will be communicated to authors together with the acceptance notification and publication guidelines.
* Abstracts accepted for presentation at the conference may be considered for publication in the conference proceedings, subject to peer review and editorial requirements. Authors whose abstracts are accepted for publication in the proceedings will be required to pay an additional publication fee (50,000 KZT, 100 USD).
* Publication fees will be communicated to authors together with the acceptance notification and publication guidelines.
Participants are responsible for arranging and covering the costs of their own accommodation during the conference.
A variety of accommodation options are available in and around the conference venue.
Recommended Accommodation:
Nazarbayev University Campus Hotel: ASYR Hotel
Nearby hotels:
A variety of accommodation options are available in and around the conference venue.
Recommended Accommodation:
Nazarbayev University Campus Hotel: ASYR Hotel
Nearby hotels:
Qabanbay Batyr Ave 47, Astana | |
Turan Ave 44, Astana | |
| Khuseyn Ben Talal 25, Astana |
Expo Apart Hotel | Qabanbay Batyr Avenue h. 58B |
Hilton Astana | Heidar Aliyev Street 14, Astana |
Program at a glance
- September 17: Welcome reception, networking sessions, visits to local cultural landmarks
- September 18: Main conference program, keynote sessions, workshops, poster presentations, gala dinner
- September 19: Conference sessions, round tables, poster prize award & closing ceremony
The conference will feature the following workshop sessions (please note that an additional fee may apply to some workshops):
- Artificial Intelligence Frontiers in Nutrition Science
- The Genetics of Taste: From Molecules to Food Choice
- Navigating Disease Burden in the Region: Methods, Metrics, and Policy Applications for Population Health Nutrition
- Best practices for publishing high-quality research in impactful journals
Download Conference Programme
Registration fees
Registration deadline: August 20, 2026
Participant Type
Local participants,
including CIS countries
including CIS countries
International participants
Early registration
10,000 KZT
150 USD
Normal registration
15,000 KZT
200 USD
Student registration (first author)
5,000 KZT
50 USD
Any extra paper fee
5,000 KZT
50 USD
The registration fee covers
- Access to keynote lectures
- Conference materials
- Coffee breaks during the conference
- Certificate of attendance
- Registration fees cover conference participation only. Travel expenses, accommodation, visa costs, insurance, and other personal expenses are the responsibility of participants.
- Please note that the conference registration fee does not include publication charges for selected conference proceedings.
- Payment by cheque is not acceptable.
- Authors are requested not to submit multiple registrations for the same paper.
- Student registration rates are available only when the first (presenting) author is a currently enrolled student.
- Participants registered under the student category must present a valid student identification card during on-site registration and conference check-in.
- Registration is confirmed only upon receipt of full payment.
- Please present your registration confirmation during conference check-in.
- Registration fees for authors of accepted papers are non-refundable.
- For non-authors, cancellations received on or after 25 July 2026 are not eligible for a refund.
- All cancellation requests must be submitted via email to nutrix@nu.edu.kz
- Approved refunds, if applicable, will be processed after the conference.
- Registration fees are non-refundable after the specified deadline, including in cases of visa denial or inability to attend.
International Attendees to Kazakhstan are responsible for obtaining their visa or electronic travel authorization (ETA) on their own. The conference can provide an official invitation letter to support visa applications.
If you require an official invitation letter for visa purposes, please ensure that your registration is completed and full payment has been received.
To request an invitation letter, please email nutrix@nu.edu.kz with the following information:
If you require an official invitation letter for visa purposes, please ensure that your registration is completed and full payment has been received.
To request an invitation letter, please email nutrix@nu.edu.kz with the following information:
- Last / Family Name
- First Name
- Date of Birth
- Nationality
- Passport Number
- Affiliation and Country
- Please allow up to 10 business days for processing your request.
Committees
Organising committee:
A/Prof. Mei-Yen Chan, Chair
Prof. Huseyin Atakan Varol, Co-Chair
A/Prof. Mei-Yen Chan, Chair
Prof. Huseyin Atakan Varol, Co-Chair
*International Attendees to Kazakhstan are responsible for obtaining their visa or electronic travel authorization (ETA) on their own. The conference can provide an official invitation letter to support visa applications.
Contacts
General inquiries
For further details, please contact:
Email: nutrix@nu.edu.kz
Media inquiries
Email: nusom.marketing@nusom.nu.edu.kzNazarbayev University, Astana city, Republic of Kazakhstan