The Creative Engineering program team at inVision U has welcomed a new faculty member. Ruslan Mukanov is a mechanical engineer with hands-on industrial experience and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. We spoke with him about the profession, the engineering mindset, and what the engineers of the future should be like.

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From a Tractor Factory to a PhD 

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Ruslan Mukanov graduated from S. Toraighyrov Pavlodar University with a degree in Automobile and Tractor Engineering before earning a Master’s degree in Transport, Transport Equipment, and Technologies. He later completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Satbayev University, an academic partner of inVision U.

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For Dr. Mukanov, the decision to become an engineer was largely shaped by the city where he grew up. "I come from the industrial city of Pavlodar. Back in my childhood, the local tractor factory was still operational, manufacturing the DT-75M 'Kazakhstan' models. I saw these tractors often and even got to ride in them. For me, machinery was never something abstract, instead it was an integral part of my environment."

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Ruslan Mukanov decided to follow the engineering path during his industrial internship at that very factory, specifically in the pilot production workshop. "That was where I first realized that mechanical engineering is not just about blueprints, machine tools, and following ready-made documentation. It is a continuous search for new solutions, testing hypotheses, conducting trials, making mistakes, and refining the design."

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Engineering as a Form of Creativity 

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His experience in the pilot production workshop shaped a perspective on the profession that Ruslan Mukanov now passes on to his students. For him engineering is not about executing instructions it is about constantly searching for better solutions: "I always tell my students that engineering is a form of creativity. Creativity is about bringing something new into existence, and engineers create new devices, technologies, and solutions. You could say engineering is creativity that works: an idea is only valuable if it can be turned into something that solves a real problem".

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However, Dr. Ruslan Mukanov emphasizes that a good idea is just the beginning of engineering work. "A student might come up with an idea for a new mechanism, but that is where the real engineering work begins: choosing the right material, calculating loads, designing the manufacturing technology, assembling a prototype, testing it, and refining the design. An engineer is someone who knows how to turn an idea into a working solution that actually helps people."

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One of Dr. Mukanov’s favorite examples of the intersection between creativity and engineering is kinetic sculpture. In these artworks, movement is an essential part of the artistic expression. While the artist creates the concept and the visual language, the engineer designs the mechanism, selects the materials, and ensures that everything works. It is at this intersection of creativity and engineering that technological solutions emerge.

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Why Creative Engineering? 

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Dr. Ruslan Mukanov works with students at the Satbayev University FabLab, a digital fabrication laboratory where students turn ideas into physical prototypes using, 3D printers, CNC machines, electronics, and advanced manufacturing tools.. This is why the philosophy of the Creative Engineering program resonated with Dr. Mukanov. "I was drawn by the fact that engineering here is treated not as a collection of separate disciplines, but as a unified process of creating a new product.

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Students experience every stage of the engineering process: development cycle, from the concept and to CAD/CAM, fabrication, and electronics, IoT, microcontrollers, and robotics, navigate every single stage: from idea and design to engineering calculations. This is very aligned with the approach we develop at the FabLab."

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According to Ruslan, "Our goal is to educate engineers who create rather than simply execute. They should be able to identify a problem, design a solution, build a prototype, and develop it into a working product. Such a specialist can work for a major corporation, launch their own startup, or pursue research. In any case, they will be capable of inventing something new rather than just maintaining existing technologies."

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These are the engineers industry is looking for, professionals who can solve problems where standard solutions no longer work. They will be working in advanced manufacturing, energy, robotics, environmental and agricultural technologies, urban infrastructure, where mechanics, electronics, software, and design must come together in a single working system.

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Studying at inVision U 

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Creative Engineering is one of five undergraduate programs at inVision U, a next-generation university in Almaty established with the support of Arsen Tomsky, CEO of inDrive.

The program is taught entirely in English and students study on a full scholarship that covers tuition,  no post-graduation employment obligations. Graduates receive a state-recognized diploma. For applicants who need to strengthen their academic preparation and English language skills, a Foundation Year program is available.

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At inVision , students learn from engineers who have designed, built, tested, and improved real products. Faculty members combine industrial experience with academic expertise, guiding students from an initial idea and the first sketch to prototyping, testing, and a working solution. 

You can learn more about the Creative Engineering program and admissions here. 

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