Irina Arifulova received her bachelor’s degree in biology in 1998 and her master’s degree in biology, specializing in zoology, in 2000 from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Kazakhstan. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Biology at the same university. She is also a Leading Researcher at the Laboratory of Complex Earthquake Forecasting, National Scientific Center for Seismological Observations and Research, Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She has conducted research on biological monitoring related to earthquake forecasting since 2007 and has authored and co-authored approximately 50 scientific publications. Her research interests include the morphology, development, developmental abnormalities, ecology, and distribution of amphibians and reptiles; animal behavior in relation to seismic activity; potential biological precursors of earthquakes; and methods for monitoring animal behavior in earthquake forecasting research.