Aida Sagintayeva is Dean of the Graduate School of Education and Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Budget at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.
She is an education leader, scholar, and higher education policy expert with extensive experience in institutional development, university governance, academic strategy, and education reform.
She has played a central role in building Nazarbayev University’s Graduate School of Education into an internationally recognized school. In 2025, the School entered the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject in Education Studies in the 176–200 band, becoming the first education school in Kazakhstan and Central Asia to achieve this position.
Dr Sagintayeva holds an EdD in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania and a PhD from Ablai Khan Kazakh University of International Relations and World Languages. Her research focuses on higher education governance, university leadership, institutional autonomy, academic transformation, and education policy. Her work combines academic leadership with national and international engagement. She contributes to higher education reform in Kazakhstan and works with universities, international organizations, and policy communities across Central Asia, Asia, Europe and beyond. Her current interests include AI-enabled transformation in higher education, responsible governance, institutional capacity, and the future of universities.
