The Department of Plant Physiology and Microbiology  at S.M.Kirov Kazakh State University was founded  in January 15, 1938. From 1947 to 1999, it was called the Department of Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. In 1972, “Department of Microbiology” was separated from this department. Because of the fusion in 2011 “Department of Biotechnology, Biochemistry, Plant Physiology” and “Microbiology” a new “Department of Biotechnology” was established.

Today it is considered to be the first and the only  department in Kazakhstan where research is being successfully done. The  department trains specialists in  biochemistry, microbiology, biotechnology of microorganisms, plants and animals, environmental biotechnology, bioinformatics and ecosystem modeling. 

The department staff  consists of 12 Professors, 16 Associate Professors and 6 PhD, who are involved in scientific activities of the following areas:

     1. Bioenergetics and biotechnology of phototrophic microorganisms

     2. Ecological biotechnology, biochemistry, plant physiology

     3. Bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics

     4. Efferent properties of corbanized sorbents

     5. Algology, BAS based on microalgae

     6. Food Biotechnology

     7. Physiology of soil microorganisms, bioremediation of contaminated soils

     8. Probiotic biotechnology.