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Position Specification
Nazarbayev University
Vice Provost, Research
November 2012
INTRODUCTION
This specification should be read in conjunction with Nazarbayev University’s website:
www.nu.edu.kz
Nazarbayev University (NU) is a modern institution that borrows best practice from partners and
higher education systems internationally, but retains a distinctive Kazakh identity. It has partnerships
with leading universities in the US, UK and Singapore. With them, it is creating world-class schools
and research centres.
The first student cohort has passed through its foundation year and second year. The schools of
Engineering, Science and Technology, and Humanities and Social Sciences received their first
undergraduates on 29 August 2011. In September 2013, the Graduate School of Public Policy (GSPP)
will be launched as one of the first Schools of NU to provide master degree programs. The University
hopes to admit students to the Medical School in 2015.
The University now seeks to appoint a Vice Provost of Research. Candidates will have an impressive
research career in a STEM (science, technology, engineering and medicine) background and
experience of leading research in a large faculty or across an institution. Importantly, these candidates
will be citizens of the world, ideally with experience that extends beyond one university system, and a
broad perspective on the dynamics of twenty-first century higher education.
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NAZARBAYEV UNIVERSITY
The Character of the University
The University’s vision is to produce graduates prepared to the highest international standards to
contribute to research, education, and the national economy.
The NU mission is to advance the development of education and research in the Republic of
Kazakhstan, as well as to contribute to Astana’s aspiration to become the research and educational
centre of Eurasia.
NU has been founded on the highest principles. It aspires both to realising the potential of the
talented young people of Kazakhstan and to playing a leadership role as a teaching and research
university, throughout and beyond the country. Autonomy and academic freedom are central to its
purpose and all of its activities will be characterised by a commitment to excellence and integrity,
both intellectual and ethical.
To this end, the University will be a leader in innovation; it will pioneer new methods and
approaches and a spirit of adventure will be central to its approach. The operations of the institution
will be transparent and accountable and the University is committed under its University Law to
collegial decision-making. NU will also be a pluralist institution, which is committed to fair and
equal treatment of all its members, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, gender, nationality, social
status or physical disability.
Strategic Goals
The strategic goals for NU are evolving. Currently, these are:

Goal I: Educational reform leadership
As NU develops it will ensure that lessons of experience are transferred and understood by
other universities, schools and research centres.

Goal II: Academic Excellence
Achieving NU’s mission will depend critically on its success in developing and
maintaining academic excellence.

Goal III: Research Excellence
NU will develop a programme of world-class research by partnering with the world’s best
researchers and research institutions

Goal IV: Healthcare reform leadership
NU’s healthcare system will provide a model for healthcare reform throughout
Kazakhstan.

Goal V: Innovation and Production
NU will be one of Kazakhstan’s main drivers of innovation, leading the way for Astana to
become a regional hub of innovation.
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Structure and Governance
The High Board is the principal oversight body of NU and is chaired by the President. The Board of
Trustees is chaired by the Prime Minister.
The University Council is the chief executive body and includes the University Rector; Provost; VicePresidents, Deans of Schools; the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Senate, two Student representatives
chosen by the Student Government.
The Faculty Senate is a largely advisory body, whose function is to express the voice of the faculty to
the administration.
Please see the organisation chart in an Appendix to this document.
Financial Position
The University also has been building the first substantial endowment fund in the region. As
governmental funding to cover the University’s costs is secure for at least five years the endowment
will not be drawn on in that time. The University will also be seeking sponsorship of all kinds for
such objects as research, faculty posts and student support.
Academic Profile
The University has established three undergraduate schools (faculties) and is establishing a number
of graduate schools. Each school is being developed in collaboration with a major research-led
university. Undergraduate schools offer Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral programmes. Graduate
Schools offer only Master’s and Doctoral programmes. The first post-graduate programmes will
commence in 2013.
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES
The School of Natural Sciences and Technology has been established in collaboration with iCarnegie,
a wholly-owned company of Carnegie-Mellon University. The School opened in 2011 with the
teaching of Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Computation,
Robotics and Mechatronics and a Pre-Med Programme.
The School of Social Sciences and Humanities has been established in collaboration with the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the light of regional needs it will open with two sections,
Humanities courses in History, World Languages and Literature and World Religions and Social
Sciences courses in Economics, Political Sciences and International Relations, Sociology and
Anthropology. It currently houses a non-degree programme in advanced Kazakh language which is a
requirement for all Kazakh students.
The School of Engineering has been established in collaboration with University College London
(UCL). The School’s development has been informed by discussion with key industries and
businesses in Kazakhstan, and with government ministries. The School’s aim is to ensure that its
graduates are prepared to meet the growing demand in Kazakhstan for engineers who are able to think
flexibly and to thrive in the ever-changing international business environment.
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GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
The Graduate School of Business is being established in partnership with the Fuqua School of
Business at Duke University. The School as begun by offering an executive MBA programme and
intends to offer a resident MBA programme. Executive education courses are already underway.
The Graduate School of Public Policy is being developed with the support of the Lee Kuan Yew
School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. Executive training for senior
government officials has already begun, and a first cohort of Masters in Public Policy students will be
admitted in summer 2013.
The Graduate School of Education will have two strands, one focused on higher education in
conjunction with the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, and the other
concentrating on secondary education in partnership with the University of Cambridge. The school
will open in 2013, initially with two Masters’ degree courses.
The Graduate School of Medicine (SoM) is being developed in conjunction with the University of
Pittsburgh and has six hospitals and a research centre already in place in time to open in 2015. The
mission of the SoM is to create a new generation of physician-scientists to assume leadership
positions in research, academia, and healthcare settings. This will be the first academic medical
system in Kazakhstan, aiming to serve the tripartite mission of education, research, and delivery of
health care. In its final state, NU Medicine will be an integrated healthcare enterprise, uniting
physicians and scientists of the School of Medicine with the organizations, health professionals and
facilities of the National Medical Holding and the Research Centre for Life Sciences.
RESEARCH CENTRES
One of NU’s priorities is to train world-class researchers. To this end, the university has established
the following research centres:




Center for Life Sciences
Center for Energy Research
Interdisciplinary Engineering Center
Center for Educational Policy Research
The goal is to attract top-level scientists regardless of nationality by offering the opportunity to
conduct advanced research in cutting-edge facilities.
At the heart of each centre will be an enabling research environment that encompasses basic research,
technological application, coordinated programs, and consulting and analytical services in highpriority development fields.
The Center for Life Sciences (CLS) operates in academic collaboration with University of Pittsburgh,
and a number of other leading academic centres in the United States, Europe, South-East Asia. The
goal of CLS’s research programs is to translate innovative biotechnologies into clinical practice and
to help transform Astana into the regional healthcare leader and a global biotechnological centre.
As a leading energy producer and exporter, Kazakhstan has a natural interest in energy-related
research. The Center for Energy Research (CER) will explore energy and energy-saving technologies.
The CER will focus on study, transfer and development of renewable energy, energy efficient
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technologies, as well as will conduct applied and fundamental research in natural sciences, climate
change & environmental studies, computer science and modelling, etc. The CER operates in
academic collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Argonne National
Laboratory.
The Interdisciplinary Research Center will advance the scientific base in a range of cross-cutting
fields and contribute to the development of Kazakhstan's engineering technology.
Graduates and researchers at NU will be pioneers in their fields. They are the core of a new
generation of researchers in Kazakhstan and the former Soviet Union who will spearhead efforts to
contribute to science and technology in Kazakhstan and around the world. Strategic collaborations
with academic centres in the United States and the other countries are crucial in achieving this goal.
Further information about the early fruits of NU’s recent activity is found in an accompanying
document.
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THE ROLE
The Vice Provost of Research will be a well-respected and internationally-experienced scholar with a
distinguished research career in a STEM subject. S/he will be an engaged and persuasive
communicator of NU’s strategy and will be a key player in the University’s achievement of its goals.
The Vice Provost of Research will be responsible for the definition and delivery of the University’s
research strategy and will provide inspiration and direction in all areas of research. Key to his/her
success will be the ability to work across disciplines and ensure an approach that is fully integrated
and prevents the creation of disciplinary silos. He or she will report to the newly appointed Provost,
Simon Jones.
The Vice Provost of Research will be responsible for a large and rapidly growing research budget. In
2012 the University invested c $25m in research projects and another $25m in research infrastructure.
The anticipation is that this expenditure will double in 2013 (becoming the equivalent of 1% GDP of
a growing economy). Whilst the University is well funded, the ambition is to create a world-class
research and innovation hub that, in time, will attract international sources of finance. Additionally, it
is expected that the commercialisation of research will become a further revenue stream and the Vice
Provost must spearhead these efforts.
Crucial to the role will be the ability to work effectively with experienced deans to encourage
collaboration across and between schools and the research centres. Also vital is the ability to
understand how to work successfully within a nascent university structure that is supported by
respected international partners, but whose purpose will be guided by the will of the Kazakh people.
This is an opportunity to create a research strategy, underpinned by significant institutional and
financial support that will be instrumental in the intellectual and economic development of the region.
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THE PROFILE
Candidates should have a passion for academic excellence, demonstrated scholarly accomplishment,
an established record of leadership in at a research university/institution higher education, and a keen
understanding of research beyond their discipline, and the downstream exploitation of research. The
successful candidate should have a strong commitment to international research excellence. The ideal
candidate should also demonstrate impeccable ethics and integrity as a university leader and citizen.
If so desired, the candidate will be encouraged to maintain their own research activities proportionate
to the responsibilities of the post.
Experience
Candidates for the role will require:

a strong record of research in a STEM discipline;

experience of formulating and leading research policy across disciplines, either at a school/
faculty level or institution-wide;

ideally, a record of having secured funding from international sources;

ideally, some international experience involving more than one university system;

ideally, experience in building institutions in a dynamic research environment;

preferably a good knowledge of, or affinity with, Central Asia;

a track record of building effective relationships to drive innovation and excellence in research
and experience of the downstream exploitation of research;

a track record of working in collaboration with policy and government institutions and
administrative bodies at national and international levels.
Personal Competencies
Key skills will include:

the energy to galvanise others;

a commitment to the highest standards of international research;

a warm and compelling communication style;

a non-hierarchical approach and the ability to delegate responsibility appropriately;

talent in managing both people and budgets;

the determination to deliver success;
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
a collaborative leadership style and comfort working across disciplines, departments and
organisations in a facilitative style.
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HOW TO APPLY
NU has appointed Russell Reynolds Associates to advise on this position.
To apply, please send a full CV together with a supporting statement, briefly highlighting your
experience and skills against the requirements of the role, to responses@russellreynolds.com. Please
include the following job title and reference number in your e-mail, Nazarbayev University, Vice
Provost, Research, 1210-044L. All applications will be acknowledged.
For an informal discussion about the position, please contact a member of the Russell Reynolds team
below.
CONTACT
Simon Kingston
Russell Reynolds Associates
Almack House
28 King Street
London
SW1Y 6QW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (20) 7830 8089
Fax: +44 (20) 7198 1850
Email:simon.kingston@russellreynolds.com
Clare Gumbley
Russell Reynolds Associates
Almack House
28 King Street
London
SW1Y 6QW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (20) 7198 1876
Fax: +44 (20) 7198 1850
Email:clare.gumbley@russellreynolds.com
Company Website: www.russellreynolds.com
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For Budget 2013
Structure of the Autonomous Organization
of Education “Nazarbayev University”
(Total staff – 556)
Secretariat of the Higher
Board of Trustees-3
Higher Board of Trustees
Approved
№ ______ « ___ » __________ 201_
Board of Trustees
Committees
Department of
Internal Audit- 5
Vice-President for
Medicine
Executive Vice-President
Rector (President)
Secretary of the
Board of Trustees
Academic
Council
Provost
Scientific
Council
Advisor-1
Security
Service - 3
Department
of Strategic
Initiatives -7
Directorate
of Tax and
Accounting
-9
Chief Financial
Officer -1
Department of
Finance and
Risk
Management -6
Department of
Economic
Planning and
Analysis -6
Department of
Investments
and Asset
Management -5
Managing
Director for
Staff and
administration
-1
Managing
Director for
Construction -1
Department
of
Procurement
-6
PE
«University
Service
Management
»
Corporate
Fund «Social
Development
Fund»
Medical
School -3
Department of
Integrated
Academic
Health
System– 5
National
Medical
Holding
PE «Center for
Life Sciences»
Vice-Provost
for Academic
Affairs
Graduate School of
Public Policy -20
School of
Engineering -79
School of Humanities
and Social Sciences
-103
Center for
Preparatory Studies 5
Office of the Rector
(President) - 5
PE «NURIS»
Office of the Provost 5
Graduate Admissions
Department-6
JSC «Astana
Knowledge City»
Department of
Academic Quality
assurance - 5
PE «Graduate
School of Education»
Seconded from
UCL to NU UPC
Department of
Communication and
Marketing - 6
Department of
Strategy and
Coordination-5
Department of Human
Resource
Management -8
Student Career
Development
Center - 5
International
Cooperation
Department – 6
Department of
Student Affairs-10
Sport center-3
Admissions Office-8
Department of
Academic Budgeting -6
Registrar’s Office – 9
PE «Facility
Construction
Directorate»
Vice-President for
International and
Student Affairs
Vice-Provost
for Research
Graduate School of
Business -19
School of Science
and Technology -145
Secretariat of the Boart of
Trustees - 3
Department of
coordinating contracts
with partners - 6
PE «Nazarbayev
University Library and IT
Services»
JSC «National
Analytical Cneter»
Almaty
Representative
Office - 5
General
Counsel
Legal
Department - 7
Department of
Documentation
Support - 7