Mannix P. Balanay, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Ph.D. Chemistry Program Director

Office: 7.114
Email: mannix.balanay@nu.edu.kz
Phone: +7 (7172) 69 46 57
Research Group: Laboatory of Functional Materials and Computational Chemistry
Specializations: Materials Chemistry, Computational Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Optoelectronic materials, Heterogeneous catalysis

Biography

Dr. Mannix P. Balanay is an Associate Professor and the PhD Program Director in the Department of Chemistry at Nazarbayev University. Since joining the faculty in 2014, he has built a robust, multidisciplinary research program focused on the design and synthesis of functional materials to address critical global challenges in energy, environmental sustainability, and health. His laboratory uniquely integrates predictive computational chemistry, materials science, and environmental chemistry to engineer innovative technologies.
Dr. Balanay’s academic foundation is both deep and diverse. He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Kunsan National University (South Korea) in 2012, specializing in third-generation solar cells. His doctoral and subsequent postdoctoral work combined computational modeling with organic synthesis and device fabrication to advance solar energy technologies. He also holds two master’s degrees—one in computational chemistry from Kunsan National University and another in bioinorganic chemistry from Mindanao State University–Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). His early career included academic appointments at Siquijor State College and Silliman University in the Philippines, with research spanning coastal resource management, analytical chemistry, and bacterial protein profiling. Outside the lab, his enduring connection to the environment is reflected in his background as a certified Advanced Open Water Diver and a former first aid and water safety trainer for the Philippine National Red Cross.
A recognized researcher in his field, Dr. Balanay has secured substantial research funding from Nazarbayev University, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCIEERD). Notably, he was honored with the prestigious “Balik Scientist” designation by DOST-PCIEERD in 2019.
Dr. Balanay is highly active in the global scientific community. He serves on the editorial board of Nano Research Energy (ranked 1/124, 99% in Chemistry – Miscellaneous, 2024 CiteScore) and as an academic editor for PLoS ONE (ranked 28/200, 86% in Multidisciplinary, 2024 CiteScore). A regular reviewer for top-tier journals such as Nature Communications, Journal of Materials Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering Journal, he also serves as a technical panel member for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology under DOST-PCIEERD. Recently, he was appointed as an ACQUIN subject-matter expert in Chemistry (2025) and was inducted as a full member of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society (2026).
Currently, Dr. Balanay’s research group is advancing organic and hybrid solar cells (dye-sensitized, polymer, and perovskite), next-generation energy storage components like zinc-air batteries, and tailored nanomaterials for critical electrocatalytic reactions (CO₂RR, HER, NO₃RR, H₂O₂ production, and oxygen electrocatalysis). In the environmental domain, his lab is developing advanced porous materials for wastewater treatment via Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOP), alongside smart membranes and sensors for real-time pollutant detection. Through these integrated efforts, Dr. Balanay continues to deliver sustainable, materials-driven solutions for societal well-being.