Gulnaz Tulenova is a doctoral researcher in the project "Dealing with Institutional Volatility: Food Production, Processing, and Trade in South-Eastern Qazaqstan," led by Prof. Dr. Peter Finke. Her research explores how entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan’s food and dairy sectors intersects with public health, historical legacies, gender dynamics, and identity in the post-Soviet context.

With an academic background in History(BA) and Public Health(MPH) from Nazarbayev University(Kazakhstan), Gulnaz brings an interdisciplinary lens to the study of everyday economic practices. She examines how small- and mid-scale food production and trade operate not only as livelihood strategies but also as forms of cultural and gendered expression. Alongside her academic research, Gulnaz leads Terek Story, a public history and storytelling initiative that documents family histories and intergenerational entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan.