Huseyin Atakan Varol is a Full Professor of Robotics and the Founding Director of the Institute of Smart Systems and Artificial Intelligence (ISSAI) at Nazarbayev University. He holds a BS in Mechatronics Engineering from Sabanci University and MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Varol’s research interests include generative artificial intelligence, soft robotics, sensor fusion, and biometrics. He has authored over 150 technical papers in leading international journals and conferences and holds multiple international patents in bionics. He has consulted for major companies and secured competitively funded research grants from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan, the World Bank, and the Nazarbayev University Research Fund.
Since 2019, Dr. Varol has focused on establishing ISSAI as a world-class AI research institute in Kazakhstan. Under his leadership, the Institute developed the Kazakh Large Language Model (KAZLLM). He is currently spearheading the development of Kazakhstan’s national generative AI stack, including models, products, and services such as the Oylan language–audio–vision model, the Beynele image generation engine, the Tilsync real-time translation service, and the Mangisoz foundational speech and text translator.
