'I've Always Been Keen to Engage in Experiments and Operate Scientific Instruments'
During his early years at university, physicist Ivan Makhov worried that he might be dismissed, but today he is heading a study supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he shares his work experience using a closed-loop cryostat, his dream of conversing with Einstein, and favourite location in his hometown of St Petersburg.
‘We Work to Create a More Prosperous, Fair, and Safe World’
On July 3–4, 2024, the IX BRICS Civil Forum was held in Moscow for the first time since the association was expanded by five new countries in January 2024. Participants emphasised the importance of personal interaction between public figures, civil activists, as well as the work they do to strengthen and enrich friendly relations between BRICS countries, based on mutual respect. The forum was organised by the BRICS Expert Council–Russia, which is established at the HSE University.
Reinforcement Learning Enhances Performance of Generative Flow Networks
Scientists at the AI Research Centre and the AI and Digital Science Institute of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science applied classical reinforcement learning algorithms to train generative flow networks (GFlowNets). This enabled significant performance improvements in GFlowNets, which have been employed for three years in tackling the most complex scientific challenges at modelling, hypothesis generation, and experimental design stages. The results of their work achieved a top 5% ranking among publications at the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics AISTATS, held on May 2-4, 2024, in Valencia, Spain.
BRICS Countries Support HSE University’s Project to Launch Fair Competition Platform
A meeting of the BRICS Coordination Committee on Antimonopoly Policy was held in Geneva as part of Russia's BRICS Chairship in 2024. The meeting participants supported a project to launch a BRICS Interstate Platform on Fair Competition, developed by the International BRICS Competition Law and Policy Centre of HSE University and presented by the FAS of Russia as an initiative of the Russian Chairship.
‘I Came Up with the Idea to Create an Application Useful for Practicing Physicians’
Dmitry Ryabtsev, a 2024 graduate of the master's programme at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science, created an AI-powered software service for ophthalmology during his two years of study. This product is now entering the market, and its developer plans to participate in establishing a working group on software engineering for medical applications at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science, with the goal of promoting more genuinely useful domestic projects. In an interview with HSE News Service, Dr Ryabtsev shared his story of how a professional doctor turned into a programmer.
Conference at HSE CREATIVE HUB Explores Key Trends in Art in 2023-2024
In late June, the HSE CREATIVE HUB hosted an expert conference titled 'Exhibition Season Trends,' focusing on recent tendencies in contemporary art. Prominent art critics and artists discussed landmark exhibitions, trends for 2023-2024, and their potential impact on the developments in this field in the near future.
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‘Two Interdisciplinary Research Centres Can Create New Synergy between Themselves’
In mid-June 2024, HSE University and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna held a joint working meeting. This meeting was the first under an agreement signed by the research centres in 2024, when HSE University and JINR agreed to jointly participate in experiments of the NICA megascience project, as well as interact in the field of theoretical and mathematical physics, information technology, and personnel training. These issues were the focus of the first working meeting. Details are in the JINR report.
'When Engaging in a Debate, I Always Seek Out Credible Sources to Support My Arguments'
Sociologist Valeria Kondratenko is skilled at handling big data and enjoys working with it. In her interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses academic research, her admiration for Pierre Bourdieu, and her passion for weightlifting.
People in China and Japan Demonstrate a Higher Risk Propensity than Russians
An international team of authors, including researchers at HSE University have examined decision-making by nationals of 11 countries. It turns out that people universally tend to make more mistakes when confronted with the need for quick decision-making and expected to weigh the pros and cons of available options on their own. However, when the advantages and disadvantages of each option are known to them, the behaviour of individuals from different nationalities varies depending on their cultural level of risk aversion. The paper has been published in Nature Human Behaviour.
‘It Is Absolutely Necessary for Scholars and Students to Be in Contact with Peers Around the World’
Bruno de Conti, Assistant Professor at the University of Campinas (Unicamp, Brazil), has been cooperating with the HSE School of International Regional Studies for a few years. In his interview with the HSE News Service, he talks about the importance of developing academic cooperation between Russia and Brazil and shares his impressions of HSE University and Moscow.