Research Center "Data Science in Astrophysics" named after Z.Zhanabayev
The center was established based on the decision of the Scientific Council meeting No. 4 on December 20, 2023, following the order of the rector of KazNU named after al-Farabi No. 10 dated January 10, 2024.
Agishev Aldiar Talgatovich, director of the “Data Science in Astrophysics” Center, PhD in “Physics and Astronomy”, acting associate professor
The “Data Science in Astrophysics” Center was established with the goal of bringing together leading research groups from the Kazakh National University in the fields of observational astronomy, astrophysics, and the application of data science methods (modern and innovative techniques) in these areas.
Scientific and Educational Activities
The “Data Science in Astrophysics” Center is actively involved in educational activities, including participation in the training of the next generation of specialists. The center conducts scientific research and educational projects with the involvement of undergraduate students, master’s and doctoral students from the Faculty of Physics and Technology, as well as high school students with advanced science studies.
The center’s team is working on the development of educational and methodological materials for key areas in astronomy, astrophysics, and data science, contributing to the development of educational programs and the improvement of teaching.
Regular open seminars are held, covering both local and international participation, attracting leading scientists from other countries for the exchange of experience and knowledge. These events contribute to the integration of the local scientific community into the global context and the development of international collaboration.
Research Activities
The “Data Science in Astrophysics” Center conducts cutting-edge research in observational astronomy, astrophysics, and the application of data science methods to address pressing scientific problems. The center focuses on the following areas:
Stellar Evolution and Structure – determination of fundamental parameters of systems based on modeling of object light curves.
Modeling Light Curves of Variable Stars – analyzing observational data and constructing models to study their behavior.
Hydrodynamic Modeling – description of the structures and dynamics of disks in binary systems based on numerical simulations using the SPH (smoothed particle hydrodynamics) method.
Doppler tomography – is an observational method for describing disk structures that allows one to reconstruct the distribution of radiating matter in the system in radial velocity coordinates using phase-resolved spectral data.
Spectral Line Modeling – modeling the characteristics of electromagnetic radiation coming from observed systems to study the properties of the shells of the objects under study.
The center is currently conducting several ongoing research projects funded by the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (SC MSHER KZ).
The results of the center’s research are regularly published in high-ranking international scientific journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science.
The center also actively participates in international scientific collaborations, presenting its research findings at world-class conferences. In addition, the center organizes scientific conferences, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among scientists from different countries.
In 2024, as part of the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the university, an international conference “Hot Stars. Life with Circumstellar Matter” (https://conf.astrokaznu.kz) was organized and held. There about 90 scientists took part, including 50 leading astrophysicists from 20 countries (USA, Canada, Latin America, Russia, Europe, China and others).
