On October 2, 2026, at the age of 94, an outstanding Kazakhstan scientist, Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chemical Sciences Doctor, Professor Yessen Abikenovich Bekturov has passed away.
Yessen Abikenovich was one of the scientists who made a significant contribution to the establishment and development of polymer physical chemistry in Kazakhstan. For more than six decades, his scientific career was associated with the Institute of Chemical Sciences, where he advanced from junior research fellow to head of the Laboratory of Polymer Physical Chemistry, which he established.
Under his leadership, a major scientific field was developed in the areas of water-soluble polymers, polyelectrolytes, polyampholytes, interpolymer and polymer-metal complexes. The fundamental research of Y.A. Bekturov received wide recognition in Kazakhstan and abroad, while the scientific school he founded trained several generations of chemists.
Yessen Abikenovich authored and co-authored hundreds of scientific publications and numerous monographs. For the series of monographs “Water-Soluble Polymers and It's Complexes”, he was awarded the State Prize of the Kazakh SSR in Science and Technology. His contributions to national and world science were recognized with the title of “Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, the UNESCO Niels Bohr Gold Medal, the State Scientific Scholarship, and other prestigious awards.
International scientific cooperation and the training of scientific personnel occupied an important place in his work. His research and scientific ideas contributed to strengthening the standing of Kazakhstan chemical science and developing international ties among Kazakhstan scientists.
Yessen Abikenovich continued the scientific traditions of his father, the outstanding scientist and Academician Abiken Bekturovich Bekturov, with distinction after whom the Institute of Chemical Sciences is named. To his colleagues and students, he will forever remain an example of high scientific standards, integrity, intelligence, and unwavering devotion to science.
The staff of JSC “A.B. Bekturov Institute of Chemical Sciences” extends its deepest condolences to his wife, Gulnara Beisembayevna, his family and loved ones, his students, colleagues, and the entire scientific community.
The memory of Yessen Abikenovich Bekturov will forever remain a part of the history of Kazakhstani science and in the hearts of all who knew him.
The staff of JSC “A.B. Bekturov Institute of Chemical Sciences”
