Statistics | Analytics | Data Science

Data, models, and decisions.

My name is Aknur, and I am a Statistics (Analytics) graduate student passionate about turning data into clear models and informed decisions. I am currently pursuing an M.S. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with 3+ years of experience building forecasting and machine learning models across actuarial and credit-risk problems.

I have worked across research, analytics, and technical support: developing forecasting models, building credit-risk forecasting and classification frameworks, and supporting faculty and students through technical troubleshooting. I am especially interested in work where applied statistics can inform planning, policy, or business decisions.

3.7/4.0

UIUC Statistics GPA

Top 2/93

Mathematics cohort

3+ Years

Forecasting and ML

50+

SIAM events promoted

Education

Master of Science in Statistics (Analytics)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Urbana, IL, USA

Aug 2025 - May 2027

GPA: 3.7 / 4.0
  • Coursework: Statistical Modeling, Statistical Learning, Regression Analysis

Bachelor of Science in Mathematics

Nazarbayev University | Astana, Kazakhstan

Jun 2024

Magna Cum Laude HonorsGPA: 3.80 / 4.00Top 2 / 93
  • Coursework: Statistical Programming, Image Processing, Machine Learning, Linear Programming, Mathematical Statistics, Optimization, Probability, Actuarial Science 1 and 2 (Exam P, Exam FM), Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Stochastics

Work and Research Experience

Lead Technology Assistant

ATLAS, UIUC | Illinois, USA

Aug 2025 - Present

  • Provide technical support to faculty members and students, resolving 5-10 tickets per day through clear verbal and written communication.

Research Assistant

Department of Mathematics | Astana, Kazakhstan

Aug 2022 - May 2025

  • Designed and validated a three-parameter generalized logistic forecasting model for mortality data, reducing mean squared error by 15% versus standard logistic models.
  • Developed hypergeometric-equation and Taylor-series based population models that turn raw demographic data into interpretable actuarial and demographic forecasts.

Data Analyst

Yessenov Data Lab | Remote

Jun 2023 - Jul 2023

  • Built a quarterly regression forecasting framework linking portfolio default rates to macroeconomic factors; unified heterogeneous time series, treated outliers, and achieved RMSE of 0.020-0.023.
  • Developed classification models with stratified splits and class-imbalance handling to segment risk profiles and support more targeted business actions.
  • Improved model discrimination versus baseline from ROC AUC 0.714 to 0.744 and PR-AUC 0.141 to 0.195, then optimized thresholds to boost minority-class recall to 0.24 at acceptable precision.

Head of PR Department, Marketing Manager

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) | Astana, Kazakhstan

Jan 2020 - May 2022

  • Led marketing and PR for the student chapter, organizing and promoting 50+ mathematics-related events across social media channels.
  • Created 35 consulting-style presentation materials in PowerPoint and Canva using charts, infographics, and clear visual narratives.
  • Monitored social media engagement and increased event sign-ups by 65% by using analytics to guide content decisions.

Publications

Investigation of Stereolithography Additively Manufactured Components for Deviations in Dimensional and Geometrical Features

Aknur Kalilayeva, D. Zhumashev, D. Wei, A. Perveen, and D. Talamona

Polymers, 16(23), 3311, 2024

Nonlinear Implicit Regression Fit of the Mortality Data by the Three Parameter Generalized Logistic Model

Aknur Kalilayeva

Capstone project, Nazarbayev University, 2024. Supervisors: Prof. Dongming Wei and Prof. Kerem Ugurlu

Skills

Programming

PythonRSQLMatlab

Python and R Libraries

NumPyPandasMatplotlibSeabornPyTorchTensorFlowScikit-learnSciPy

Data Science

Data CleaningData MiningForecastingRegressionClassificationExperimental DesignA/B Testing

Data Processing and BI

ETLSnowflakeMS ExcelPower BITableau

Development Tools

GitJupyter NotebooksAnaconda

Leadership

Teaching Assistant for Calculus and Probability

Nazarbayev University | Astana, Kazakhstan

Jan - Jun 2023

  • Led weekly office hours and facilitated monthly group study sessions, providing academic support to over 300 students.

SUSI Global Leadership Workshop

Study of the U.S. Institutes | Prague, Czechia

Jan 2025

  • Explored strategies to amplify women's voices in STEM and education.

Study of the U.S. Institutes, Green River College

Women Leadership in STEM and Economic Empowerment | Washington, USA

Jun - Jul 2022

Awards and Scholarships

Presidential Scholarship, top 1%Skywalk of Fame, top 1%Konrad Adenauer Foundation Sur-Place Scholarship, top 5%Yessenov Scholarship, top 10%Alumni Relief ScholarshipMereke Scholarship