Assel is a Post-Doctoral Researcher in the Political Economy of Education at the Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Education. She obtained her MA in Educational Leadership and Management from University of Nottingham and holds a PhD in Education from University of Cambridge. Her doctoral research focused on informal learning in virtual professional communities of teachers in Kazakhstan. Prior to that she worked at the Center of Excellence under the auspices of AEO Nazarbayev Intellectual schools. Her research interests focus on teachers’ professional learning.