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 earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Kunsan National University in the Republic of Korea in 2012, where he specialized in the design, synthesis, and fabrication of third-generation solar cells. His doctoral research integrated computational chemistry using density functional theory with hands-on organic synthesis and device fabrication for advanced solar energy applications. He continued this work as a research and invited professor at the same university, focusing on organic and hybrid solar cells. Prior to his studies in Korea, he was an instructor at Siquijor State College and Silliman University in the Philippines. He holds two master’s degrees in chemistry—one in computational chemistry from Kunsan National University and another in bioinorganic chemistry from Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT). In the Philippines, his work encompassed environmental research, coastal resource management, analytical chemistry, bacterial protein profiling, and environmental monitoring. He also served as an instructor of first aid and a trainer in Water Safety Programs with the Philippine National Red Cross, and he is a certified Advanced Open Water Diver. In 2014, Dr. Balanay joined Nazarbayev University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. His current research interests include the computational design, synthesis, and fabrication of organic and hybrid solar cells; the synthesis of nanomaterials for energy, environmental, and biomedical applications; and the development of environmental sensors for pollution monitoring. He has led multiple research projects funded by Nazarbayev University, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Philippine Department of Science and Technology (DOST). In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious “Balik Scientist” designation by DOST-PCIEERD. Dr. Balanay serves on the editorial board of Nano Research Energy (1/111 (99%), Chemistry) and as an academic editor for PLoS ONE (28/200 (86%), Multidisciplinary). He has also guest-edited for Materials Today: Proceedings, and regularly reviews for high-impact journals such as Nature Communications, Journal of Materials Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering Journal. He is also a technical panel member for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology under DOST-PCIEERD in the Philippines. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Korean Chemical Society.