Dr Diana Toimbek

Overview

Dr. Diana Toimbek holds an MSc in Educational Leadership (Graduate School of Education) from Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, and a Ph.D. in Non-Traditional Security (School of Public Affairs) from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China.

Previously, she served as a senior expert at the National Centre for Educational Quality and Assessment in Kazakhstan, overseeing the national coordination and implementation of international studies such as PISA and TIMSS designed by OECD and IEA. Before joining Ulster University, Dr. Toimbek was an Associate Professor in Political Science and Director of the School of Creative Industries at Astana IT University, Kazakhstan.

Dr. Toimbek's research background includes internationally funded grants and quantitative and qualitative methodologies in peer-reviewed journals on political economy, extractive institutional regimes, and social and human capital theories.

Her master's thesis investigated socio-economic resilience indicators in Kazakhstan, while her doctoral thesis at Zhejiang University focused on energy security in Kazakhstan, advocating for economic diversification beyond hydrocarbon extraction.

Her current research interests centre on advocating for the development of public policies related to energy transition, policy scenarios for adapting economic development to climate change, and promoting data-driven decision-making in the Global South, with a specific focus on Central Asia.