Research & Expertise News at HSE University

An international team including researchers from HSE MIEM has developed a catalyst that enables fast and low-cost hydrogen production from water. To achieve this, the scientists synthesised nanoparticles of a complex oxide containing six metals and anchored them onto various substrates. The catalyst supported on reduced graphene layers proved to be nearly three times more efficient than the same oxide without a substrate. This development could significantly reduce the cost of hydrogen production and accelerate the transition to green energy. The study has been published in ACS Applied Energy Materials. The work was carried out under a grant from the Russian Science Foundation.

HSE University has hosted the final defences of student projects submitted to the Scientific Initiative Competition organised by the Centre for Student Academic Development. Over the course of the year, participants worked on research projects spanning all stages of the research process, from defining a scientific problem to analysing results, and public defence marked the final stage of the competition.

Yadviga Sinyavskaya studies communication technologies, particularly social media. In this interview for the HSE Young Scientists project, she discusses testing the social brain theory on real-world data, the merits of Gogol’s Dead Souls, and ways to prevent burnout.

Founded 15 years ago at HSE University, the Laboratory of Algebraic Geometry and Its Applications studies fundamental mathematics and helps to shape a unified language of mathematical science. The laboratory has become a well-known and respected research centre; recognition of its achievements includes presentations by its staff at international mathematical congresses and publications in leading global mathematical journals. The HSE News Service spoke with the head of the laboratory, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dmitry Kaledin, about its work.

The Rope Shop Educational Space of HSE University–St Petersburg hosted a conference on the present and future of Russian–Chinese relations. Together with Luo Zhanhui, Consul General of China in St Petersburg, leading experts in Asian and African Studies discussed vectors for the long-term development of the countries, the synergy of joint projects, and future educational partnerships.

After exploring several research fields, Maxim Gurin realised that he wanted to study sociology while specifically focusing on how his research could benefit the people at the centre of it. In this interview with the HSE Young Scientists project, he shares his passion for hip-hop dancing, the magical appeal of the courtyard at the House on the Embankment, and his quest to uncover the memories of the Chelyuskinitsy during a trip along the Trans-Siberian Railway.

HSE University–St Petersburg has held the first 'Contemporary Studies of the Sultanate of Oman: Methods, Concepts, Texts' international school for early-career researchers. The programme gathered more than 30 students and experts from Russia, Oman, Italy, and France.

An international team that included Prof. Marina Butovskaya from HSE University studied how willing parents are to care for a child depending on the child’s resemblance to them. The researchers found that similarity to the mother or father affects the level of care provided by parents and grandparents differently. Moreover, this relationship varies across Russia, Brazil, and the United States, reflecting deep cultural differences in family structures in these countries. The study's findings have been published in Social Evolution & History.