From Uzbekistan to Russia: Exchange Student on His Transformative Experience
Bekzod Karimov, a student from Tashkent State University of Law, Uzbekistan, joined an exchange programme at HSE University in St Petersburg in 2024. In this interview, Bekzod shares his exciting experiences: from studying law to exploring the beautiful city. Read on to find out how the programme helped him grow, inspired his career goals, and changed his view of the world.
HSE Linguists Study How Bilinguals Use Phrases with Numerals in Russian
Researchers at HSE University analysed over 4,000 examples of Russian spoken by bilinguals for whom Russian is a second language, collected from seven regions of Russia. They found that most non-standard numeral constructions are influenced not only by the speakers’ native languages but also by how frequently these expressions occur in everyday speech. For example, common phrases like 'two hours' or 'five kilometres’ almost always match the standard literary form, while less familiar expressions—especially those involving the numerals two to four or collective forms like dvoe and troe (used for referring to people)—often differ from the norm. The study has been published in Journal of Bilingualism.
Overcoming Baby Duck Syndrome: How Repeated Use Improves Acceptance of Interface Updates
Users often prefer older versions of interfaces due to a cognitive bias known as the baby duck syndrome, where their first experience with an interface becomes the benchmark against which all future updates are judged. However, an experiment conducted by researchers from HSE University produced an encouraging result: simply re-exposing users to the updated interface reduced the bias and improved their overall perception of the new version. The study has been published in Cognitive Processing.
Mathematicians from HSE Campus in Nizhny Novgorod Prove Existence of Robust Chaos in Complex Systems
Researchers from the International Laboratory of Dynamical Systems and Applications at the HSE Campus in Nizhny Novgorod have developed a theory that enables a mathematical proof of robust chaotic dynamics in networks of interacting elements. This research opens up new possibilities for exploring complex dynamical processes in neuroscience, biology, medicine, chemistry, optics, and other fields. The study findings have been accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters, a leading international journal. The findings are available on arXiv.org.
‘We Managed to Outperform Teams of 15–20 IT Specialists’
On June 5, 2025, the top projects were presented as part of the Digital Solutions Marathon hackathon in a case study on forecasting and evaluating lost sales. First place went to a joint team of students from the HSE Faculty of Computer Science and the National University of Science and Technology MISIS, consisting of six students.
FES Explores Collaboration Opportunities with Shanghai University
On June 27, 2025, the Faculty of Economic Sciences at HSE University hosted a delegation from the School of Economics at Shanghai University, a partner of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and the International College of Economics and Finance. The main goal of the meeting was to discuss the prospects for expanding cooperation between the partners, specifically the development of academic exchange and the organisation of joint events for students and faculty from both the School of Economics and the Faculty of Economic Sciences.
Building Bridges: Russian–Chinese Summer School on International Relations Opens
The XII Russian-Chinese Summer School on International Relations has opened at HSE University. This year’s theme is ‘Facets of the World Majority: Practice and Narratives.’ The school has brought together 27 master's and doctoral students as well as early-career researchers from leading universities in China and Russia.
‘HSE University–St Petersburg Is Perfect for What I Was Seeking’
Every year, HSE University–St Petersburg welcomes international students from around the world not only for full-time programmes of all levels but also for academic mobility. This year, Michel Young Hernandez, a student from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology, is among them. In this interview, Michel shares his experience of studying at HSE University–St Petersburg as an exchange student, why he decided to participate in the international mobility programme, and what his life in a new cultural landscape has been like.
‘People Often Don’t Understand What’s Going On around Them—but We Can Explain’
Georgy Stalinov conducts field-based social research and has created a video podcast about unusual social phenomena based on fieldwork materials. In an interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he spoke about hitchhiking with lorry drivers, why working as a taxi driver can be a bad idea, and whether poaching exists in Kamchatka.
‘The Cost of Making Mistakes Is Small, While the Experience Is Invaluable’
For the second year in a row, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry has held the Start a Business with Moscow international business school for students of Moscow Universities. Last year, Wang Yue, an HSE University student from China, became the winner of the project. On June 16, 2025, the finalists defended their projects and business ideas in front of business representatives and potential investors. This year, six students from HSE University made it to the finals. Ekaterina Leibel, second-year student of the master’s programme ‘Science of Learning and Assessment,’ whose project took third place, and Md Yeashin Arafat, first-year student of the master’s programme ‘Business Analytics and Big Data Systems,’ talk about their studies, project presentations, and future plans.
Application deadline: June 23, 2025