Tatyana Lipina is a religious studies scholar and analyst specializing in state–confessional relations, religion policy, and the prevention of violent extremism (PVE). She has previously served as Director of the Department of Religious Studies Research at the Center.
She has more than 14 years of professional experience in analytical and expert work, encompassing both fundamental and applied research on religious dynamics, interfaith engagement, and socio-political developments. She began her career in 2011 as a Research Fellow at the Research and Analytical Center for Religious Affairs under the Agency for Religious Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, where she has also developed extensive expertise in conducting religious assessments, including the review of religious materials and statutory documents of religious associations.
Ms. Lipina has held analytical positions in several leading institutions, such as the Kazakhstan Institute of Public Development and the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She was engaged in strategic policy analysis on domestic policy issues, the religious landscape, gender and youth issues, social cohesion, and the prevention of violent extremism.
In addition to her analytical work, Ms. Lipina has led professional training and educational programs. She has delivered advanced training courses for school teachers on secularism and introductory religious studies. Following the recommendation of the Anti-Terrorism Center of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, she has also delivered lectures on the prevention of religiously motivated extremism.
From 2013 to 2016, Ms. Lipina held academic and teaching positions at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and KAZGUU University (now MNU). During this period, she served as Executive Secretary of “Religious Studies Research at L.N. Gumilyov ENU,” an academic publication series. She has authored more than 20 academic and analytical publications, including monographs, textbooks, and national reports.
Ms. Lipina contributed to the development of national policy documents on religion and participated in expert initiatives on prevention of violent extremism. She also served as a member of the Advisory Committee representing Kazakhstan in the “Resilient Communities” project under USAID’s Countering Violent Extremism in Central Asia (CVECA) program.
In recent years, she has completed several international advanced training programs. These include “National Consultations on Prosecution, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (PRR),” organized by the UN Counter-Terrorism Center and the European Union, 2023), as well as training in Islamic law provided by the Ibn Sina Foundation, Allameh Tabataba’i University (Iran), and the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2021). She is also a graduate of the School of Analytics under the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan (2022).
She was awarded the commemorative medal “30 Years of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan” by Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, in recognition of her contribution to interfaith dialogue and social cohesion.
Ms. Lipina currently oversees research in religious studies, including monitoring, analysis, and expert evaluation.
