News

HSE researchers, in collaboration with their colleagues from Skoltech and the Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, have uncovered the mechanisms behind the emergence of new and dangerous coronavirus variants, such as Alpha, Delta, Omicron, and others. They have discovered that the likelihood of a substitution occurring at a specific site of the SARS-CoV-2 genome is dependent on concordant substitutions occurring at other sites. This explains why new and more contagious variants of the virus can emerge unexpectedly and differ significantly from those that were previously circulating. The study’s findings have been published in eLife.

Researchers at the HSE Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience have discovered that analysing the electrical activity in the brains of a small group of people and studying their visual attention makes it possible to predict the impact of an online advertising campaign on a much larger group of 300,000 consumers. The paper has been published in Brain Sciences.

Researchers from Russia and the U.S. have found language impairment in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to be associated with a lower volume of grey matter and greater gyrification in the temporal and frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. These regions play a critical role in language functioning. Understanding the structural characteristics that underlie behavioural deficits can aid in designing special education programmes for children with autism. A paper with the study’s findings has been published in Scientific Reports.

To devote one’s time to scientific research does not at all mean to engage in abstract academic reflection. Vasily Minkov, who graduated first from the HSE’s Faculty of Social Sciences and then from its Faculty of Computer Science, conducts research as a bioinformatician at the BostonGene medical company. He even managed to give his musical project a cultural and anthropological focus. In this interview with Success Builder, Mr. Minkov explained how the brain is studied in HSE laboratories, what bioinformatics is and why working in the industry is useful for a scientist.

In late April, the official opening ceremony of Russia’s first intensive student workshop ‘Chinese Perspective’, organised jointly by the HSE University Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs (WEIA), the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, and the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ICCA RAS), took place. The intensive course will allow students to explore Chinese business culture and acquire the skills to work and do business in China.

The partners have agreed to develop education in the field of fintech. The corresponding bilateral agreement was signed by HSE University Rector Nikita Anisimov and Alfa-Bank CEO Vladimir Verkhoshinskiy.

HSE University has launched enrolment in a new online Master’s programme in Digital Urban Analytics. In this interview, the programme’s Academic Supervisor Ekaterina Zarudnaya and its Scientific Supervisor Kirill Puzanov speak about the processes and tasks generated by the online city, the demand for urban analysts, and the specifics of studying in the programme.

HSE University’s Development Programme until 2030 will be improved in order to increase the university’s contribution to achieving national goals and implementing the priorities of the country’s scientific and technological development. This decision was made by the university’s Academic Council on April 26. The meeting also addressed the principles for the development of HSE University’s external communications, one of which is the creation of a high-quality information field around the university.