Research & Expertise news at HSE University

Researchers from HSE University have developed new approaches for regulating the expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 enzymes, which play a crucial role in cell infection with SARS-CoV-2. The scholars discovered that small non-coding microRNA (miRNA) molecules are capable of performing a targeted decrease in ACE2 and TMPRSS2. The results of the study have been published in PLOS ONE journal.

As the situation with COVID-19 has shown, mistakes associated with insufficiently developed policy measures in medicine, science, education and other socially significant sectors of the economy are very costly for society. In the July issue of Nature, Leonid Gokhberg, First Vice Rector of HSE University and ISSEK Director, discussed the topic of the growing practice of making management decisions based on big data analysis.

Experts from the HSE Laboratory of Sports Studies at the Faculty of Economic Sciences have developed software to create the Russian Premier League’s season calendar. According to the League's management, this approach proved effective last season when special algorithms were first used.

Russians who are open to new experience, conscientious, and emotionally stable have better chances of achieving professional and financial success. This is the finding of a study conducted by HSE researchers that analyzed the impact of personal qualities on the behavior of Russian citizens of various social and economic groups. The study was based on a vast range of data collected from 2000 to 2016.

Young women are often discouraged from careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), resulting in fewer young engineers and programmers entering the labour market. A study by Natalia Maloshonok and Irina Shcheglova examines how and why gender stereotypes can disempower female students, leading to poor academic performance and high dropout rates.

In a recent study, HSE University researchers analyzed and ranked the responses of 48 countries to the coronavirus pandemic. National responses were evaluated with regard to three factors: medical care, social support, and economic support. Among the 48 analyzed countries, Russia placed 7^th, while Australia ranked the first.

This year HSE University is launching a new Master's programme in Critical Media Studies. HSE bulletin HSE Look has talked to Olga Baysha, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Communications, Media and Design, who was involved in creating the programme, about her path in academia, research interests, and teaching.

In the beginning of 2020, six student research projects received funding from the HSE Centre for Student Academic Development (CSAD). The projects had been selected in a competition in which participants presented their research plans and the expected outcomes. At a reporting online seminar in July, team leaders summarized their achievements over the six months and spoke about how their work has been impacted by the pandemic.