Campus News at HSE University

From April 1 to 3, 2026, the HSE Pokrovka Campus will host the Fourth Robotics Festival—one of the key events organised by the Faculty of Computer Science for anyone interested in robotics, programming, and engineering creativity. The festival will bring together robotics competitions, discussions, educational formats, and demonstrations of technological developments.

On March 11, 2026, the HSE Cultural Centre hosted an outstanding performance by prize-winner of international competitions and one of the most in-demand classical artists of today, Vladimir Vishnevsky, together with the chamber orchestra Pelle d’Oca under the direction of Nikolay Shugaev. The concert was organised by the university’s Centre of Music Projects in cooperation with the Corporate Academy and was dedicated to the arrival of spring.

On February 18, 2026, a celebration of Chinese New Year was held in the central atrium of the Pokrovka building. The festive programme showcased the rich traditions of the holiday, including dance and violin performances, folk games, and a tea ceremony. The event was organised by HSE University's Chinese Culture Club and the Support and Career Centre for International Students and Alumni.

In January, HSE University hosted the third GameDevFest of the Faculty of Computer Science—a computer game festival organised by the School of Software Engineering and the project group ‘Computer Game Software Engineering—PIKI’ with the participation of the Vintorog game studio. Guests had the opportunity to play a variety of video games, including demo versions created by FCS students and other aspiring game designers.

Finding employment in Russia upon graduating from HSE University–St Petersburg is realistic—this was the message conveyed on January 25 (Student Day) at a panel session featuring graduates of the university. Sharing both their academic journey and professional achievements, they spoke at the conference organised in the Rope Shop Educational Space.

Alexey Efimov has been appointed Head of the School of Asian Studies at the HSE Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs. He brings with him 18 years of experience of living and working in China. Alexey Efimov was involved in opening the RIA Novosti bureau in the People’s Republic of China, took part in establishing the Sputnik China news agency, and from 2019 served as Deputy Trade Representative of the Russian Federation in China. Elizaveta Trubnikova spoke with Alexey Efimov in an interview that sheds light on how a career path from analyst to journalist and diplomat in China shapes one’s understanding of the East, why soft skills are crucial for today’s international affairs professionals, and what prospects lie ahead for the development of the School of Asian Studies.

Associate Professor Yulia Zaitseva of the Faculty of Computer Science’s Big Data and Information Retrieval School and Research Assistant Ekaterina Nistyuk of the Laboratory on Algebraic Transformation Groups have been named among the winners of the Young Russian Mathematics research grant competition. Also among the awardees is Vladislav Pokidkin, a PhD student at the Faculty of Mathematics.

The in-person superfinal of the Continental Chess League (CCL) has taken place in Moscow. The experimental project by HSE University lasted three months, bringing together 2,000 online players from Russia and 16 other countries. The strongest players were determined across eight stages. The eight finalists fought it out over three days, with the overall winner named as 18-year-old Erdem Khubukshanov, an international master who is expected to attain the title of grand master next year.