Research & Expertise

HSE University and the Centre for International Policy Research (Qatar) have agreed to collaborate in the field of social sciences, with plans for joint research, academic exchanges, and regular expert engagement. The agreement was signed during the roundtable ‘State Capacity and State Resilience in the Global South,’ held as part of the 25th Yasin (April) International Academic Conference at HSE University.

Physicists from the Institute of Spectroscopy of the Russian Academy of Sciences and HSE University have successfully trapped rubidium-87 atoms for over four seconds. Their method can help improve the accuracy of quantum sensors, where both the number of trapped atoms and the trapping time are crucial. Such quantum systems are used to study dark matter, refine navigation systems, and aid in mineral exploration. The study findings have been published in the Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters.

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. 

HSE University and the University of Delhi (India), in partnership with Geoscan (a portfolio company of the Innopraktika non-state development institute), have agreed to establish an international scientific mirror laboratory on data storage, processing, and transmission in space systems. The agreement was signed on January 15, 2025, during a visit to India by an HSE University delegation led by Rector Nikita Anisimov.

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.

Scientists at Privolzhsky Research Medical University (PRMU) and the Centre for Language and Brain Studies at the HSE Campus in Nizhny Novgorod have developed methods to diagnose autoaggressive and heteroaggressive tendencies in adolescents using eye-tracking technology. This will allow psychiatrists and psychologists to address this condition in young people before they may harm themselves or others. Anna Khomenko, Senior Research Fellow of the Centre for Language and Brain Studies at the HSE Campus in Nizhny Novgorod, presented the results of the project at the NeuroThursday seminar.

Life satisfaction is higher among those who engage in diverse leisure activities, researchers from HSE University have found. However, the specific types of activities people engage in are less important. The contribution of individual leisure activities to a sense of well-being accounts for no more than 2% of the variance. Only the diversity of leisure activities is significantly linked to overall life satisfaction and a sense of meaningful time usage. 

Ekaterina Alexandrova, Academic Supervisor of the Egyptology programme at HSE University, has studied the funerary practices of ancient Egyptians based on religious texts and the works of Egyptologists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Traditionally, it was believed that Egyptian religion was built solely on the fear of death. However, an analysis of texts reveals that ancient Egyptian beliefs were not merely reflections of a fear of death, but a complex system aimed at preserving order and stability both in life and the afterlife. The study has been published in the journal Shagi/Steps.