Research & Expertise news at HSE University

On February 10, the award ceremony for the winners and laureates of the 2024 Student Research Paper Competition took place at HSE University. Out of the 1,916 students to submit projectsto the competition, 320 participants became winners and laureates and were awarded in four categories: social sciences, economics and management sciences, exact sciences, humanities and creative industries.

Researchers at HSE University's St Petersburg School of Economics and Management have been exploring methods for the efficient allocation of resources in systems involving multiple players. The scientists have proven the existence of strategies for optimal decision-making in competition for limited, discrete resources in four different cases. The developed mathematical model can be applied in various fields, ranging from education and medicine to managing networks and computing power. The paper has been published in Games and Economic Behaviour.

In the context of increasing global competition, countries arestriving to ensure technological sovereignty. Those who can ensure economic development and concentrate intangible assets and human capital are emerging as leaders. The growing demand for qualified staff leads to an increase in the role of universities and the demand for early-career scientists. The challenges and opportunities for prospective specialists in the scientific community were discussed at the ‘StratPro Platform’ strategic session at HSE University.

Alina Minnigulova and Maria Khudyakova at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have presented the latest research findings on the linguistic and neural mechanisms of language impairments and their progression in patients following neurosurgery. The scientists shared insights gained from over five years of research on the dynamics of language impairment and recovery.

A team of researchers at HSE University investigated the neural mechanisms involved in how the brain processes persuasive messages. Using functional MRI, the researchers recorded how the participants' brains reacted to expert arguments about the harmful health effects of sugar consumption. The findings revealed that all unpersuaded individuals' brains responded to the messages in a similar manner, whereas each persuaded individual produced a unique neural response. This suggests that successful persuasive messages influence opinions in a highly individual manner, appearing to find a unique key to each person's brain. The study findings have been published in PNAS.

Anastasia Sherubneva's research focuses on spatial economics, and she is currently writing a dissertation on the crises of 2020 and 2022. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses the impact of agglomeration effects on enterprises, her home neighbourhood of Akademgorodok in Novosibirsk, and her experience meeting Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman in Portugal.

Researchers have proposed using polymer membranes modified with copper, zinc, and chromium metal ions for water purification. These polymers were used for the first time in water purification via electrodialysis. Copper-based membranes demonstrated record selectivity for monovalent ions, opening new possibilities for sustainable water recycling. The study has been published in the Journal of Membrane Science. 

In high school, Mikhail Shishkin used to dismiss probability theory as mere speculation, but today he applies it to solving problems in population genetics. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he discusses what a modern person's genome can reveal about the past, the question he would pose to the author of Fermat's Great Theorem, and The Ashley Book of Knots.