Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences

Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences degree is a Ph.D. program offered by the School of Medicine at Nazarbayev University. Our four years Ph.D. program in Biomedical Sciences has been designed to generate a new generation of researchers, who will shape research in Kazakhstan and on the international level. It addresses highly motivated students, who want to be part of a research community working on finding causes and treatments for a variety of different diseases. Our School has strong ties to the hospitals around Astana and is therefore in an ideal position as a link between bench and bedside. Our researchers are working on various topics among them cancer, and inflammatory and infectious diseases.

The program provides broad training in topics necessary for good research as well as a focus on one specific area you are interested in. This program will prepare you for a career in academia as well as in an industrial setting.

The Ph.D. degree at Nazarbayev University is a four-year full-time lab-based program according to international standards. It is offered within the School of Medicine and is open to Master's students of different Life Sciences (such as Biology, Molecular Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, etc.) as well as MD students having completed a graduate program. The School of Medicine is in a unique position to offer this program as it has laboratory facilities as well as close links to the clinics in Astana. This program aims to bridge the gap between basic science and medicine.

A student graduating from the International Ph.D. Program in Biomedical Sciences at the School of Medicine at Nazarbayev University will be trained to independently conduct scientific research in the field of biomedical sciences in an academic or industrial environment. Biomedical scientists may use their knowledge of biomedical research to:

• Be part of a multidisciplinary team of scientists to solve problems of different illnesses
• Direct a research lab and conduct cutting-edge research
• Translate discoveries and inventions from fundamental level to application in an industrial setting
• Manage and coordinate large scientific projects (national and international)
• Teach at national and international universities
• Work in government advising policymakers about scientific matters related to health and disease development

The core element of the program is a biomedical Ph.D. thesis. In addition, Ph.D. students are offered a variety of key competence seminars (see the section CURRICULUM for more information). Each Ph.D. project will be supervised by one faculty member with the project lying in his/her area of research. A second co-supervisor will be allocated to each Ph.D. student.

The Ph.D. program will teach you important aspects of research such as grant writing, writing papers for publication, giving presentations on your research, and getting ethical approval.

Assessment of your progress will be done via annual reviews and progress reports as well as presentations of the work at Astana and conferences worldwide. Towards the end of your fourth year, you will concentrate on the writing of your Ph.D. thesis, which together with a thesis defense at the end of the fourth year will comprise your final grade.

Program aims are:

• To engage students through laboratory-based training in the field of biomedical sciences and enhance their knowledge and proficiency to carry out innovative research either in academia or industrial setting;
• To provide graduates with competencies to present scientific results internationally at conferences and via publications;
• To provide graduates with competencies in acquiring grants to fund future research studies;
• To produce skilled researchers, who can advance biomedical research nationally and internationally

Overall 240 ECTS

• Courses: 60 ECTS
• Thesis research: 180 ECTS

Year 1: Fall Semester

Year 1: Spring Semester

Year 1: Summer Semester

Year 2: Fall Semester

Year 2: Spring Semester

Year 2: Summer Semester

Year 3: Fall Semester

Year 3: Spring Semester

Year 3: Summer Semester

Year 4: Fall Semester

Year 4: Spring Semester

Year 4: Summer Semester

On successful completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Design and conduct innovative research independently
• Present, discuss and assess scientific results at national and international conferences
• Discuss, assess and present scientific results in written form
• Develop grant applications for national and international grants to support further research
• Design research and scientific responsibilities in accordance with ethical and professional standards.
• Work in a multidisciplinary team
• Conduct research intended to lead to discovery of new treatments
• Appraise the quality of published research, draw conclusions from this and develop new research strategies

After having graduated from our program you will be able to choose from a variety of different pathways. Our main objective will be to teach you to become an independent scientist enabling you to work as a postdoc in national and international laboratories gaining experience to ultimately set up your own research group anywhere in the world.

Of course, you can also use the experience you will gain in the course of our PhD in Biomedical Sciences to go into biotechnological or pharmacological industries or maybe even start your own company. Here you will be able to be involved in the discovery of new treatments, cures, and research advancements that enhance medical professionals’ approach to improved patient care and disease management.

You will also be able to fulfil a leading function in Diagnostic labs or Translational centres across the country as well as abroad. Or you can switch your career path and use the knowledge you have gained to shape the future of science in Kazakhstan by becoming part of the government, join the editorial of a scientific journal or become part of the world health organization.

So the opportunities are plentiful and it is up to you to decide where your path will take you in life. Our program will give you a strong basis, whichever path you will follow.

Our graduates leave the university prepared to use their skills in the global medical community and locally in Kazakhstan:

• Research – Work in international laboratories and translational research centers studying molecular and genetic biomedical studies.
• Health Service – Manage diagnostic laboratories, and research units in hospitals, or work as a scientist developing biomedical innovations.
• Education – Teach and research at universities or collaborate with scientific journals as a writer or editor of scholarly journals.

Possible future employers are:

• Universities and Research Institutes around the world
• Pharmaceutical and Biomedical industry (Pfizer, Merck, Sanofi, Roche, etc.)
• Translational centres
• Government
• Diagnostic laboratories
• Scientific journals
• World Health Organization (WHO)

Applicants are expected to have:

Important dates for those who are applying for the 2025-2026 academic year

• Citizens of Kazakhstan: available until June 25, 2025, 2:00 P.M. (Astana time).
• International applicants from countries requiring a visa prior to arrival: available until March 27, 2025, 2:00 P.M. (Astana time).
• International applicants from countries eligible for visa issuance upon arrival: available until June 25, 2025, 2:00 P.M. (Astana time).

The deadline for submission of IELTS/TOEFL, GRE/GMAT certificates:

• Citizens of Kazakhstan: July 2, 2025
• Applicants from countries requiring a visa prior to arrival: March 31, 2025
• Applicants from countries eligible for visa issuance upon arrival: July 2, 2025

The tuition fee for the Doctoral Programs is $23,500 (12 008 500 KZT) per one academic year for both local and international students.

To learn more about tuition fees, please contact us at bursars_office@nu.edu.kz.

Minimum requirements for PhD programs:

1. Undergraduate and Master's degrees or MD (or equivalents). During the application period, final- year master's students may submit an official current transcript for consideration);

2. Minimum CGPA of 2.75 out of 4.00 in applicant’s master’s degree;

3. English proficiency:

     1) Overall IELTS test score of 6.5 (with sub-scores no less than 6.0) or the equivalent TOEFL score as posted on the ETS website.

TOEFL iBT Home Edition, TOEFL PDT, IELTS Online and IELTS Indicator results are not accepted;

     2) Applicants can be exempted from submitting the language proficiency test report if:

          — one of their earlier academic degrees was earned in a country with English as the language of official communication and academic instruction;

          — an undergraduate and/or graduate degree was earned in a program that was officially taught in English;

4. A high level of motivation and interest in the Program, as outlined in a statement of purpose (up to 500 words);

5. Strong reading, analytical and mathematical skills as demonstrated by GRE test (optional).

Online application deadlines for those who are applying for the 2025 - 2026 academic year:

• for the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan - April 21, 2025 inclusively (14:00 Astana time)
• for international applicants - March 3, 2025 inclusively (14:00 Astana time)

Deadline for submission of IELTS/TOEFL results:

• for the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan - May 5, 2025 (23:59 Astana time)
• for international applicants - March 17, 2025 (23:59 Astana time)

The start of orientation week (for newly enrolled students): August 2025

First day of classes: August 2025

All submitted documents shall be in English or with notarized English translation:

• Complete Application form;
• Scanned copy of national ID (for the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan) or passport (for international applicants);
• Scanned copy of official document confirming name change (if applicable);
• Degree diplomas (Bachelor’s and Master’s or equivalents) with transcripts; During the application period final year master's students students may upload an official current transcript for consideration;
• An official electronic IELTS/TOEFL certificate (valid at the time of document submission) sent to the University through IELTS/TOEFL VERIFICATION SERVICES. Code for IELTS: NU. Code for TOEFL: 6762;
• Document confirming English as the language of instruction (only for applicants who earned their degree in a program that was taught in English and request an exemption from submitting IELTS/TOEFL). Applicants should provide a detailed certificate/reference from the university indicating the number and list of subjects completed in English;
• Personal statement (not more than 500 words);
• CV (up to one page);
• Evidence of any professional and/or voluntary experiences that develop essential skills related to laboratory work (for Global Health program optional);
• Two confidential letters of recommendation in English (with notarized English translation) written within the last 12 months (to be provided by referees electronically or in hard copy). You can find the instructions for submission of recommendation letters here;
• 075/у medical certificate (for Kazakhstani applicants) or a similar medical certificate with indication of general health (for international applicants);
• Document stating the presence or absence of a criminal record;
• For the Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences program, list of the applicant’s preferred three choices of PhD projects (optional);

Please find the video instruction for submitting an online application for the PhD programs here.

To participate in the competition the following steps must be completed:

All registered candidates can check the status of their application in the Personal account. Description of the status below is presented in the order of assignment to the candidate in the Personal account.

Application in processing. This is interim status, which means that the application is being processed. Admissions Committee will evaluate the application and inform the candidate on further steps/stages. Notification on final results will be sent to your email address.

Does not meet entry requirements. The status is assigned to the candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements. It is given after checking the application forms and the documents by the Admissions Department.

Disqualified. The status is assigned to candidates who are disqualified for gross violations of the conditions of the competition. For example, provided deliberately false information.

Rejected by Admissions Committee. At one of the competition stages, the Admissions Committee decided to reject the candidate’s application.

Transfer to another program. At the stage of an application screening the Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for consideration by the Admissions Committee of another program within the same School.

Pending. Candidate’s application is pending

Waiting list. The Admissions Committee has finished reviewing the candidate’s application and made a decision to put you on a waiting list. Such candidates should expect notification from the University, as there is a possibility that if other candidates reject to study, they may be sent an invitation letter to study.

Recommended for admission to NUZYP. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend the candidate for the NUZYP program. “Zero year of Master’s programs” (NUZYP) is a two-semester full-time program for candidates, who do not meet the language requirements for direct admission to Master’s programs, with intensive language, academic and research preparation for Master’s programs.

Recommended for admission to program. Admissions Committee has decided to recommend candidate for the program without going through the NUZYP.

Recommended for conditional admission. The Admissions Committee has decided to recommend a candidate for the conditional admission with a requirement to fulfill the condition by the deadline specified in the notification.

Withdrawn. Candidate decided to withdraw from the competition.

Accepted Program admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Accepted NUZYP admission offer. The status is assigned to candidates who received offer letter to NUZYP program, signed Enrollment confirmation form and fulfilled all the сonditions of the University indicated in the offer letter.

Refused admission offer. The candidate was recommended for admission, but refused to study.

Refused in favor of another NU program. The status is applicable for those candidates, who applied for several graduate programs at NU. The status is assigned when the candidate chooses another program.

Deferred. The status is assigned to candidates who were accepted for the program, but decided to postpone their studies until the next year.

Did not submit the documents/Refused. The status assigned to candidates who did not provide originals of the documents by the stated deadline, which means that the candidate refuses to study at University.

Did not come to Orientation week/Refused. The status is assigned to candidates who accepted the offer letter, provided hard copies of documents, but did not participate in Orientation week. The vacant place, if available, can be offered to the candidates in the Waiting list.

Enrolled to program. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the main program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.

Enrolled to NUZYP. The status is assigned to candidates who enrolled to the NUZYP program by the Decision of the Provost. Candidate officially became a student.