Kamila Adyrbekova, Ph.D., Head of the Laboratory of Hydrobionts Genetics at the Fisheries Research and Production Center, successfully completed a one-year research internship under the Bolashak “500 Scientists” Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (USA).

From September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2026, she undertook her internship as a Visiting Research Scholar in the Collaborative Conservation Genomics Laboratory at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

The research conducted during the internship focused on environmental DNA (eDNA) for biodiversity monitoring, with particular emphasis on aquatic invasive species, as well as the use of bioinformatics for processing and analyzing next-generation sequencing (NGS) and community metabarcoding data.

One of the main areas of research was eDNA monitoring of invasive carp species, including Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), Bighead Carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), and Black Carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus).

Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to genetic material from organisms that is present in the environment. The analysis of eDNA is a modern approach to studying aquatic ecosystems that enables the detection of species and biodiversity monitoring, including the detection of invasive species.

During the internship, Kamila Adyrbekova also presented the results of her dissertation research in fish population genetics to the research group.

The one-year internship provided practical experience with modern research methods in the field of molecular genetics of aquatic ecosystems. The experience gained may contribute to future research on biodiversity and genetic monitoring of aquatic ecosystems in Kazakhstan.