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 13 Professors, 16 Associate Professors and 3 PhD, 10 units of training and support staff. Doctoral students, undergraduates and undergraduate students actively participate in the implementation of scientific research.

           The department actively conducts scientific research in the following areas:

• Physiology, biochemistry, biotechnology and ecology of plants, microorganisms and microalgaе
• Bioenergetics and biotechnology of phototrophic microorganisms        
• Study of soil and water biocenoses to assess the state of environmental objects
• Development of biotechnological approaches to the assessment of the state of environmental objects
• Biotechnological principles of phyto - and bioremediation of disturbed ecosystems
• Biotechnology of creating biological products based on plants and microorganisms for remediation of contaminated soils and reservoirs
• Biotechnology of creating probiotic biological products based on microorganisms and microalgae
• Biotechnology for the creation of efferent-active drugs
• Food biotechnology. Creating new food products
• Bioinformatics, genomics, proteomics.