Leading HSE University Scientists to Receive Grants from Ideas Research Centre for Neuroscience Research
The Ideas Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research has announced the results of its 2023 competition. Five leading neuroscientists will receive grants to open graduate positions for early-career researchers who want to work on solutions to fundamental problems in this area. Three of the competition winners are scientists from HSE University: Matteo Feurra (HSE University in Moscow), Anastasia Kolmogorova (HSE University in St Petersburg), and Sofia Kulikova (HSE University in Perm).
The competition for postgraduate positions is held annually as part of the long-term, ten-year ‘Brain’ programme of the Ideas Research Centre. Grant assistance will allow young scientists to conduct research under the scientific supervision of the competition winners. The grant allows each winner to attract a promising student capable of demonstrating high-level scientific results, as well as provide an aspiring graduate student with competitive working conditions for an extended period of time. In three years, 29 well-known scientists have passed the rigorous selection process and been named winners. During this time, 112 applications were submitted, including 24 this year.
The Ideas Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Research is a non-profit organisation that operates courtesy of voluntary donations. The centre’s mission is to develop science and technology through the creation and use of modern tools to support research and development. Its priority scientific direction is research in the field of neuroscience. Priority technology areas include blockchain, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality.
Matteo Feurra, Associate Professor at the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at HSE University in Moscow, head of the Motor Control Group at the HSE University Centre for Cognition and Decision Making
My research interests span various areas of cognitive neuroscience, with a particular focus on the sensorimotor system and memory processes. I specialise in the application of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (TES), including Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS). As one of the pioneers in the field of tACS, I have contributed to advancing this novel technique with promising applications. Collaborating with national and international researchers, I have gained valuable insights into brain functions and have contributed to the development of innovative strategies for cognitive rehabilitation.
In addition to my research, I am dedicated to teaching and mentorship. At the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, I teach courses on Cognitive Neuroscience and Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques to master's students. I am also actively involved in mentoring undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD students, fostering their growth in the field. The Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at HSE provides an exceptional research environment and access to state-of-the-art methods, which greatly support my research endeavours.
I am thrilled to have secured a grant for our groundbreaking project on motor planning and kinematics!
Our research aims to unravel the mysteries of how the brain coordinates movements using cutting-edge techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The grant will fund a talented PhD student who will delve into this fascinating field
With the funding, we'll investigate the neural underpinnings of motor planning and explore the potential for developing portable motor tracking devices. Imagine real-time feedback on your motor performance, assisting in rehabilitation, sports training, and aiding individuals with motor impairments in their daily lives.
Our PhD student will collaborate with top experts, present findings at prestigious conferences, and publish research papers, contributing to the scientific community's knowledge. This grant propels us toward our goal of revolutionising motor control research and enhancing human motor capabilities.
Together, we're shaping the future of neuroscience and transforming how we understand and optimise our movement abilities
Sofia Kulikova, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, HSE University in Perm
— It is no secret that a successful PhD thesis has several components: the personal qualities of the graduate student, the work of their supervisor, and a relevant, significant research topic. But do not forget that no matter how enthusiastic a graduate student is, no matter how exciting the topic of their research is, researchers still have their daily needs. It is important that graduate students have decent financial support that allows them to devote themselves entirely to scientific work.
This grant will ensure a decent salary for a postgraduate student who will be employed at the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at HSE University in Perm for the entire period of postgraduate studies—three years starting from autumn 2024. Thus, we already have three of the four dissertation components: a supervisor (me), an interesting and important research topic (‘Determining the structural and functional correlates of time discounting’), and financial support for the work of the graduate student.
The graduate student will have to figure out why our brain prefers a smaller, but momentary reward to a larger one, but deferred in time
Using various functional and structural approaches, such as EEG and MRI, we will try to distinguish between a brain that is ‘ready to wait’ and an ‘impulsive’ brain that is ‘easily tempted’.
According to the conditions of the Ideas Research Centre competition, during the year we must select a candidate who will be ready to work on their dissertation within the framework of this project. Applicants for this position must graduate from a master’s programme in 2024 and successfully pass the entrance examinations to HSE University’s graduate school and an interview with me as their future academic supervisor.
Anastasia Kolmogorova, professor at the School of Arts and Humanities, HSE University in St Petersburg
— The title of our project is ‘Oculomotor Correlates of Cognitive Processing of Emotional Texts in a Non-Native Language in Turkic-Russian Bilinguals’.
Our team has long been engaged in two topics: the specifics of the language ability of Turkic-Russian bilinguals and the perception of emotions in text data. In this application, we decided to combine them.
Previous studies have been related to the measurement of psycholinguistic parameters of Russian and Tuvan words in Tuvan-Russian bilinguals. In addition, we analyse how certain emotions are manifested in speakers through facial expressions, voice, and words and how large language models capture these manifestations; we create interfaces for labelling data on emotions.
The hypothesis that we will be testing as part of the grant was suggested by one of the pilot experiments: there were short texts on VK, where it was proposed to evaluate what kind of emotion was expressed and how strongly it was expressed. At first, people who speak only Russian participated, and then Tuva-Russian bilinguals. The scores differed significantly. For example, bilinguals did not find any emotions of shame in those texts that native Russian speakers rated as shameful.
We decided to continue the same experiment by expanding the cohort of study participants: we will take not only Tuva-Russian bilinguals, but also speakers of other Turkic languages of South Siberia
We will also apply the eye-tracking technology to observe the movement of the eyes of bilinguals when reading and evaluating emotional texts. This will allow us to understand what words such informants rely on when they decide on an emotion in the text. Further on, with the help of machine learning, we want to identify some typical strategies for such behaviour.
See also:
Updated Facts and Figures and Dashboards Now Available on HSE Website
The HSE Office of Analytics and Data Management, together with the Visual Communications Unit, has developed a new Facts and Figures about HSE University page on the HSE website. In addition, all university staff now have access to a dashboard with the updated indicators of the Priority 2030 programme.
HSE to Entrust Routine CPD Programme Development to AI
HSE University, together with the EdTech company CDO Global, is launching AI-based constructors to streamline the design of continuing professional development (CPD) courses. The new service will automate the preparation of teaching materials and assessment tools, significantly reducing the time and resources required of lecturers and instructional designers.
‘Territory of the Future. Moscow 2030’ Forum-Festival to Feature Innovative Projects from HSE Graduates
Until September 14, 2025, the Russian capital is hosting a large-scale forum-festival called ‘Territory of the Future: Moscow 2030’ —a space for technology, science, and innovation. This event showcases cutting-edge developments in medicine, astronautics, and the digital economy. HSE Art and Design School is participating in the festival with two graduate projects in Product and Industrial Design.
‘The Goal of Modern Geography Is To Digitise Expert Knowledge and Integrate It with Big Data’
The importance of geographical science is increasing, as is the demand for education in this field. Since 2020, application numbers for Bachelor’s programmes at HSE University’s Faculty of Geography and Geoinformation Technology have climbed by 30%, while interest in Master’s programmes has also expanded, with applications up 10–15%. Nikolay Kurichev, Dean of the Faculty, spoke about this at a press conference hosted by MIA Rossiya Segodnya.
HSE Shares Its Experience of Urban Strategies at International Summer School in China
In the context of intensifying global geopolitical and technological competition, leading Chinese educational institutions—Zhejiang International Studies University and Peking University—organised an International Summer School. Their joint programme focused on studying global, regional, and urban development strategies. The HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development took part in this event.
Scientists Develop Effective Microlasers as Small as a Speck of Dust
Researchers at HSE University–St Petersburg have discovered a way to create effective microlasers with diameters as small as 5 to 8 micrometres. They operate at room temperature, require no cooling, and can be integrated into microchips. The scientists relied on the whispering gallery effect to trap light and used buffer layers to reduce energy leakage and stress. This approach holds promise for integrating lasers into microchips, sensors, and quantum technologies. The study has been published in Technical Physics Letters.
‘Our Result Was Recognised Not Only Within the Project Defence but Also on International Scale’
This year, the European AI Conference (ECAI 2025) accepted an article titled ‘Multi-Agent Path Finding for Large Agents is Intractable’ by Artem Agafonov, a second-year student of the Applied Mathematics and Information Science Bachelor’s programme at HSE University’s Faculty of Computer Science. The work was co-authored by Konstantin Yakovlev, Head of the Joint Department with Intelligent Technologies of System Analysis and Management at the Federal Research Centre ‘Informatics and Management’ of the RAS and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Applied Sciences. In the interview, Artem Agafonov explained how he came up with the idea for the article and how he was able to present it at an A-level conference.
HSE Scientists Test New Method to Investigate Mechanisms of New Word Acquisition
Researchers at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain were among the first to use transcranial alternating current stimulation to investigate whether it can influence the acquisition of new words. Although the authors of the experiment have not yet found a link between brain stimulation and word acquisition, they believe that adjusting the stimulation parameters may yield different results in the future. The study has been published in Language, Cognition and Neuroscience.
Twenty vs Ten: HSE Researcher Examines Origins of Numeral System in Lezgic Languages
It is commonly believed that the Lezgic languages spoken in Dagestan and Azerbaijan originally used a vigesimal numeral system, with the decimal system emerging later. However, a recent analysis of numerals in various dialects, conducted by linguist Maksim Melenchenko from HSE University, suggests that the opposite may be true: the decimal system was used originally, with the vigesimal system developing later. The study has been published in Folia Linguistica.
HSE University–St Petersburg and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Release First Book of Mirror Laboratory
Malaysia hosted the AHIBS 'Weaving Horizons for Sustainable Impact' international conference, which featured the presentation of the first Russian–Malaysian book of research articles.