Aknur Zhakanova - Resume

Aknur Zhakanova

Fourth-year B.Sc. Geology student at Nazarbayev University. Experienced in core logging, lithogeochemical sampling, geological mapping, and fieldwork across porphyry systems and sedimentary basins in Central Asia. Skilled in 3D geological modeling, GIS, and thin-section analysis. Presenter at the PDAC–SEG Student Minerals Colloquium 2026.

Astana, Kazakhstan

Work Experience

Nazarbayev University

2025-10 - Present

Research Assistant

  • Worked with Professor Mahmoud Leila on projects related to H2 extraction and CO2 injection into ultramafic rocks in a reactor.
  • Validated and corrected ML-derived geospatial polygons in QGIS.
  • Working with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in both sedimentary and igneous rocks.
  • Research

Pallas Resources

2026-02 - 2026-08

Field Geologist

  • Conducted geological core logging, core orientation, and drilling-control measurements across ~3 km of diamond drilling in a remote exploration program in Central Kazakhstan.
  • Completed a 3-month field campaign supporting drill-hole quality control and geological documentation.
  • Field

Kazakhmys Barlau

2025-06 - 2025-08

Geologist

  • Carried out lithogeochemical sampling and applied QA/QC procedures on one of the largest porphyry deposits in Central Asia.
  • Prepared geological maps and figures in ArcGIS, AutoCAD, and CorelDRAW; managed sampling and drillhole data in acQuire.
  • Exploration

National Geological Survey

2025-05 - 2025-06

Geologist

  • Analyzed Soviet-era geological reports to identify prospective extraction sites.
  • Compiled interpretative summaries to support resource evaluation and exploration planning.
  • Survey

ERG

2024-12 - 2025-02

Geologist

  • Built 3D geological models in Micromine from historical records.
  • Digitized and structured geological data in Excel to support modeling and interpretation.
  • Modeling

Education

Nazarbayev University

2023 - 2027
B.Sc. in Geology

Skills

  • Core logging
  • Core orientation
  • Lithogeochemical sampling
  • QA/QC
  • Geological mapping
  • Thin-section analysis
  • Remote sensing
  • 3D geological modeling
  • QGIS
  • ArcGIS
  • acQuire
  • Micromine
  • AutoCAD
  • CorelDRAW
  • Excel
  • Leapfrog
  • Petrel
  • English (IELTS 7.5)
  • Kazakh (Native)
  • Russian (Advanced)
  • Turkish (Intermediate)
  • Arabic (Beginner)

Awards & Achievements

Satbayev Geological Universiade

2nd place, 2025

PDAC 2026 Student Colloquium

Speaker, Toronto, Canada

Central Asia Water Conference

Volunteer, 2025

Nazarbayev University Open House Day

Volunteer, 2025

Coursework

Educational field trips

West, East, and Southern Kazakhstan, 2024–2026. Applied coursework in structural geology, sedimentary geology, and petroleum geology.

  • Structural geology
  • Sedimentary geology
  • Petroleum geology

PDAC 2026 short course

Public Geoscience and Geodata Science-Based Mineral Exploration (Orange Data Mining), Toronto.

  • Orange Data Mining
  • PDAC

Mineralization modeling seminar

Mineralization Modeling for Grade Control in Micromine and Leapfrog, 2025.

  • Micromine
  • Leapfrog