Kaisha Atakhanova began her environmental and biological research after graduating and also did research in the Semipalatinsk Test Sit, which was  located on the steppe in northeast Kazakhstan.
Upon graduating in biology from Karaganda State University, Atakhanova began environmental and biological research. She did research in the Semipalatinsk Test Sit, also known as the polygon, which was a testing site for Soviet nuclear weapons. It is located on the steppe in northeast Kazakhstan (then the Kazakh SSR), south of the valley of the Irtysh River. 
