Research & Expertise news at HSE University

The new research subdivision will focus on both the fundamental and applied aspects of human intelligence studies. The goal is not only to investigate the brain's cognitive mechanisms but also to devise strategies for enhancing and sustaining cognitive well-being. Led by prominent Russian and international scientists, the centre will pursue several research areas with main foci on intellectual functions and their operation under various conditions, the mechanisms of language communication, bilingualism and cognitive reserve, and the role of sensorimotor systems in cognitive processes.

Mathematicians from Russia, including two HSE graduates, have disproven a well-known mathematical conjecture that, despite lacking solid proof, had been considered valid for 40 years. The ‘Bunkbed Conjecture’ belongs to percolation theory—a branch of mathematics that studies the formation of connected structures in independent environments.

On December 20, the Faculty of Economic Sciences hosted the Third Sino-Russian Workshop on Innovations and Innovativeness, organised in collaboration with the School of Economics at Shanghai University. Three representatives from each institution, including staff and PhD students, presented at the seminar. The participants discussed factors influencing company innovativeness, the role of leaders in R&D investments, and the impact of digital transformation.

HSE University partnered with the First Eurasian Congress of Linguists dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The congress served as a platform for discussing relevant issues in linguistics related to all language groups of Eurasia and other regions worldwide. Approximately 200 researchers from 46 foreign countries and 300 Russian linguists from 50 regions of Russia participated in the event. 

Polina Makarova initially planned to pursue a career in programming but soon shifted her focus to theoretical linguistics. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses her research on grammatical agreement in the names of professions, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the benefits of keeping an eublepharid, or leopard gecko, as a pet.

Men are three times more likely than women to commit traffic violations while driving and to be involved in accidents. Moreover, they are more likely to create situations on the road that are highly dangerous to others. Men are also twice as likely to drive under the influence and nearly one-third more likely to receive a prison sentence for reckless driving. Perhaps it comes down to cultural norms and the different attitudes men and women have toward driving. These are the conclusions reached by Anton Kazun, Assistant Professor at the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences, and Research Assistant Mikhail Belov.

Preparations are underway at HSE University for Parallel Computational Technologies (PCT) 2025, an IT conference covering all aspects of the use of cloud, supercomputer, and neural network technologies in science and engineering. Applications to present at the conference (including those from early-career scientists) are open until January 1, 2025.

Researchers at the HSE Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have investigated how the emotional impact of advertising affects the amount people willing to donate to support animal welfare. To accomplish this, the researchers measured physiological responses such as heart rate, electrodermal activity, and facial expressions in individuals viewing various photos of dogs. The findings indicate that willingness to donate is most accurately predicted by heart rate and facial muscle activation. The study has been published in Social Psychology.