Gulnur Bolatbekovna Issabekova is a native of Aisha Bibi village, Zhambyl District, Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan.
In 2000, she graduated from M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz State University with a degree in English Language Teaching.
She began her professional career as a university lecturer. From 2000 to 2013, she worked as a Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Acting Head of Department at M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz State University, Korkyt Ata Kyzylorda State University, and Taraz Innovation and Humanities Institute.
In 2013, she completed a Master’s degree in Foreign Philology (6M021000) at Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University.
In 2017, she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Pedagogy and Psychology (6D010300).
From 2017 to 2019, she served as Head of the Science and Innovation Department at Taraz State Pedagogical University.
From 2019 to 2020, she served as Dean of the Higher School of Humanities at Taraz State Pedagogical University.
From 2020 to 2026, she served as Director of the Department of International Cooperation at M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz University.
From 2023 to 2026, she served as Dean of the Faculty of Philology and Humanities at M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz University.
Since 2026, she has served as Vice-Rector for Strategy, Science, Innovation and International Relations at Sherkhan Murtaza University.
Her main research interests include education, multilingual and multicultural education, Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), foreign language teaching methodology, and information and communication approaches in education.
She has participated in the implementation of several state-funded research projects. From 2018 to 2020, she served as Co-Project Leader of AP05134840, “Implementation of CLIL Technology through Subject Teaching in the School Education System in the Context of Implementing the Trilingualism Policy in the Republic of Kazakhstan.” From 2020 to 2022, she was Co-Project Leader of AP08856578, “Multicultural Educational Space in the Republic of Kazakhstan: History, Theory, and Foundations of Design.” From 2021 to 2023, she led the research project AP09260664, “CLIL Policy in the Context of Lifelong Education in the Republic of Kazakhstan: An Information and Communication Approach”. From 2023 to 2026, she served as Project Coordinator on behalf of M.Kh. Dulaty Taraz Regional University for the Erasmus+ CBHE international project No. 101082976, “Strengthening Higher Education in the Water Sector for Climate Resilience and Security in Central Asia (HWCA)”.
She has experience in international academic and research cooperation. She has undertaken academic training and mobility within international programmes and research projects at universities and research and educational institutions in Romania, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Hungary, Russia, Türkiye, and Luxembourg. She has participated in international academic and research events in Türkiye, China, Tajikistan, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
She is the author and co-author of more than 50 academic works, including 8 publications in journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, 25 articles in academic journals recommended by the authorized body of the Republic of Kazakhstan, 4 monographs, and electronic and printed teaching manuals. She holds 15 certificates confirming the registration of copyright-protected works in the State Register.
Her research identifiers include Scopus Author ID – 57189890671, Web of Science Researcher ID – AAR-6795-2020, and ORCID – 0000-0003-0599-4940. Her Scopus h-index is 2.
Her professional and academic achievements have been recognized with national and institutional awards. In 2019, she received the “Best University Teacher” award of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She has also been awarded Certificates of Honour from the Akim of Taraz, the Akim of Zhambyl Region, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In 2025, she was awarded the “Akhmet Baitursynuly” badge.
She is married and has two sons and one daughter.