Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov was born on September 25, 1957, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, into a family of scholars: his father, Aydarbek Nuruovich Kusainov, was a linguist, and his mother, Gaziza Kaskaevna Kusainova, was a doctor.
In 1979, he graduated with honors from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering (MISiS) with a degree in civil engineering. In 1983, he defended his candidate’s thesis, and in 1993, he earned his Doctor of Science degree with a dissertation on “Discrete-Continuous Models of Dissipative Systems for Dynamics and Seismic Resistance” at the Central Scientific Research Institute of Building Structures (CSRI-Building) in Moscow.
He began his career in 1983 at the Almaty Architectural and Construction Institute (AASI), where he worked as a senior researcher, assistant, and associate professor in the Department of Structural Mechanics.
In 1987-88, 1991, and 1992, he completed research internships at the University of California, Berkeley (USA), Kyoto University (Japan), and Jilin University (China).
Since 1991, Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov has been elected as a full member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Builders every year.
From 1994, he worked as the head of the Department of Structural Mechanics.
In 1995, he was elected as an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Kazakhstan, and in 1996, he became an academician of the International Academy of Higher Education.
From 1995 to 1997, he worked in the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan as the Deputy Head of the Internal Policy Department, overseeing all educational issues. During these years, he was also a member of the Presidium of the State Attestation Commission under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an expert for UNESCO, and the chairman of the subgroup for the European Education Fund. Under his leadership, 43 legislative and regulatory documents in the field of education were prepared and published in Kazakhstan.
Amirlan Aydarbekovich was a co-author of several key reforms in higher education in Kazakhstan, including the consolidation of universities, the introduction of the credit system, a new mechanism for credit financing of universities, the concept of the Eurasian University, and the implementation of American and European educational programs in Kazakhstan.
In 1997, Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov was appointed Vice-Rector for Scientific and Methodological Work at KazGASA.
In 1997, he was elected President of the newly established Kazakh-American University (KAU), which he initiated. KAU was the first institution in Kazakhstan to offer opportunities for higher education (bachelor’s and master’s degrees) in English, following the educational standards of American universities.
In January 2000, he was appointed Rector of Kazakh State Academy of Architecture and Construction (KazGASA). From 2002, he served as the President of Kazakh Head Architectural and Construction Academy (KazGASA). Since 2020, he has been the Honorary President of KazGASA.
In the 2000-2001 academic year, Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov was elected as a full member of the International Association for Soil Mechanics, Foundations, and Geotechnical Engineering. In 2001, he completed a research internship in seismic-resistant construction in Turkey.
In 2002, he was elected as an academician of the International Engineering Academy, and in 2003, he became an academician of the National Engineering Academy. In 2015, he was awarded the title of Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan (NAS RK).
In February 2003, thanks to Amirlan Aydarbekovich’s efforts, the KAU School was granted the status of an Associated School of UNESCO.
In 2007, KazGASA and KAU established the International Educational Corporation (IEC) as a university, creating a unified educational, scientific, and industrial complex. This initiative, led by Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov, marked a new phase in the development of the university. The strategy for the socio-economic development of the university set by A.A. Kusainov aimed to improve personnel policies, digitalize the university, and organize the educational process and internships, which later facilitated the university’s adaptation to external social conditions.
In November 2007, the UNESCO-IAU Accreditation Council in Barcelona decided to accredit the Bachelor of Architecture program at KazGASA. On May 7, 2008, Fernando Ramos, the General Reporter of the UNESCO-IAU Commission, presented Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov, President of Kazakh Head Architectural and Construction Academy, with a certificate confirming that KazGASA’s educational programs meet international standards.
In 2009, he initiated and led the International Festival of Architectural, Construction, and Design Schools of Eurasia, which became a regular event. Over the course of 10 years, Kazakh Head Architectural and Construction Academy (KazGASA), part of IEC, united leading specialists from Eurasia in architecture, construction, and design. The festival has since traveled to various parts of the world, growing rapidly and becoming one of the most significant events in the international community.
In October 2018, Amirlan Aydarbekovich outlined the new development course for KazGASA in the Concept for a New Stage of Development of Architectural and Construction Education in Kazakhstan, which formed the basis of the university’s future development strategy.
To study the international education system, global experience, and achievements of universities worldwide, Amirlan Aydarbekovich visited 70 universities in 46 countries.
During his leadership, Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov implemented fundamental changes not only at KazGASA and KAU but also in the modern education system. These changes had a positive impact on the overall educational system in Kazakhstan. Under his leadership, KazGASA acquired the status of the leading academy in architecture and construction, passed state accreditation, and became a multi-level educational institution, including a lyceum, vocational school, college, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and continuing education programs. Under his initiative, KazGASA became the first university in Kazakhstan to officially introduce international education standards, including the credit system. Under his guidance, KAU, as a multi-level educational complex (kindergarten – school – college – bachelor’s – master’s), became the first university in the post-Soviet space to be accepted into the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov is a renowned scientist in the field of dynamics, seismic resistance of structures, and mechanics of discrete-continuous dissipative systems. He is also the author of alternative methods for the dynamic calculation of engineering structures. Under his leadership, many talented young scientists and industrial professionals in Kazakhstan were trained.
He is the author of more than 150 scientific, methodological, and educational works, including 105 scientific papers, 38 methodological works, 4 monographs, 4 textbooks, a four-volume Russian-English-Kazakh dictionary, 10 patents, and author’s certificates. He co-authored the monograph “Methods of Accounting for Internal Friction in Dynamic Calculations of Structures” (co-authored with A. I. Tseitlin – 16 pages), which was reprinted abroad in English twice: by Oxford and Balkema publishers. He also co-authored the monograph “Alternatives to the Standard Superposition Method of Vibrations” (co-authored with Ray Clough), published in the proceedings of the International Center for Seismic Resistant Construction Research in Berkeley, USA.
Amirlan Kusainov is a Doctor of Technical Sciences, a Professor, an Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan, a full member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Builders, and the International Association for Soil Mechanics, Foundations, and Geotechnical Engineering. He is also an academician of the Academy of Higher Education Sciences of Kazakhstan, an academician of the International Engineering Academy, and a foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Building Sciences (RAAS). He holds the title of Honorary Builder of Kazakhstan.
He has received numerous awards, including:
Appreciation from the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev
European Quality Diploma for compliance with European educational standards
Anniversary Medal for the 10th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s Independence
Anniversary Medal for the 100th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s railways
Gold Medal from the Union of Architects of Kazakhstan
Medal of T.K. Basenov
Medal and Order of A. Baytursynov
Gold Medal from the Union of Architects of Kyrgyzstan
Honorary Builder of Kazakhstan
In honor of Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov, a book was published on the occasion of his 65th anniversary.
The book tells the story of the life path of Doctor of Technical Sciences, Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, full member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and Builders, and foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Building Sciences, Amirlan Aydarbekovich Kusainov. It highlights his outstanding contributions to the field of education and the development of higher education in Kazakhstan, including his work with the Kazakh Head Architectural and Construction Academy (KazGASA) and the Kazakh-American University (KAU).
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