Throughout his career, Dauren Imanguzhin has proven that robust solutions are rooted in innovative decisions and strong motivation. Growing up in Kazakhstan, Dauren Imanguzhin was surrounded by the wild beauty of the gorgeous Caspian Sea to the west and the snow-capped Ile Alatau Mountains to the east. This world motivated Dauren to thrive as a student and a professional.
Here, Dauren's promise in engineering and leadership had prepared him to get a ready-made career on the shores of the Caspian Sea, the oil and gas industry. Dauren began his career in Tengiz, working for Tengizchevroil, or TCO for short. TCO is a joint venture between Chevron, ExxonMobil, the Kazakh national oil company KazMunaiGas, and Russian Lukoil.
Getting started in Kazakhstan's crucial sector of its economy, Dauren was given his first opportunity to showcase his abilities at Tengiz Field, one of the world's deepest operating supergiant oil fields. Starting as a Mechanical Design Engineer, Dauren managed brownfield projects at two gas processing plants. For those not up on their oil and gas lingo, a brownfield is any property previously built on, i.e., existing facilities. Dauren managed expansion projects on these sites from initial concepts to completion.
For two years, he managed over $50M in capital expenses. During that time, Dauren stepped into his leadership role with panache when he successfully led a team of eight engineers to complete preparation works for engineering deliverables and engineered materials to safely accomplish the scheduled shutdown of an 80000 barrel-per-day production plant. The shutdown was completed successfully on 1-Sep-2017 without any days-away-from-work injuries and met the business plan within the allocated Capital Expense budget.
His advancements came like clockwork. Two years as a Turnaround Engineering Coordinator became another two years as a Project Engineer. In this new role, Dauren led a team to deliver a new filter vessel with advanced technology, a record-breaking turnaround time for a project. His quick thinking saved time, protected employees, and set Dauren apart from his peers.
After another year with TCO, Dauren sought to meet new challenges, so he left to pursue a Master of Engineering at UC Berkeley in California. After strengthening his technical knowledge and leadership skills, Dauren was drawn to vehicle technology. He developed a machine learning-based vehicle temperature control algorithm and a model predictive control system for LiFePO4 (Lithium Iron Phosphate) batteries. These applications are used extensively in electric and hybrid cars. Considering his blossoming interest in complex technology, Dauren found himself in the perfect place.
In 2022, Dauren began working for Applied Materials, a semiconductor industry leader. Applied Materials, which makes equipment used in the chip-making process, recently announced a new facility in Silicon Valley. The multi-billion dollar facility has garnered a lot of interest since the signing of the CHIPS and Science Act last August. With national-level importance for the US economy and world leadership, Kamala Harris, the VP of the United States, attended the new facility launch. With Dauren's engineering background, the Applied Materials new ambitious goal made sense for him as a next step.
The new facility, EPIC Center, will foster growth and innovation among University researchers and chip makers. Dauren may have left the stunning landscapes of Kazakhstan, but he found a home in California that encourages discovery. His current role involves developing complex technology and engineering products. Developing new technologies holds a certain appeal. For the layman, the fab, where the clean room is, is separated from the area that deals with gasses. Microchips are made layer by layer on a silicon wafer using process chambers housed in the machinery. Light, gasses, and chemicals are used to create the chip layers. Dauren designs the mechanical modules, chemical delivery, and analysis systems for the fluids needed to build the layers.
Moving from leadership roles in the oil and gas industry into the semiconductor industry was a clear path forward for Dauren. Yet again, he is leading R&D (research and development) efforts and developing patented technology for innovative products with a 5-year market entry time frame.
Dauren has shown that he is adaptable. Leaving the home you love is difficult, yet when Dauren took that step and moved beyond his comfort zone, he showed us all what can be done, with enthusiasm and determination, in the face of new challenges.
About the Author
Corrine Richards writes about the intersection of technology and human interest. When she's not writing, she's exploring new tech for herself.
