Dr. Aitkaliyeva is an Associate Professor of Nuclear Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Florida (UF), where she leads the Materials for Nuclear Advancement and Technology in Extreme Environments (MANATEE) research group. Her research concentrates on mechanistic understanding of material degradation mechanisms and spans nuclear fuels, advanced high-performance materials, and nuclear forensics. Prior to joining UF in Spring 2017, she was a staff scientist at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Dr. Aitkaliyeva received her PhD in Materials Science & Engineering and MS in Nuclear Engineering at the Texas A&M University.