Rick Farouni received his PhD from Ohio State University in 2017 and has worked at Harvard University, McGill University, and ETH Zurich. In spring 2026, he was selected through the International Academic Career programme as part of HSE University’s international recruitment drive and joined the Big Data and Information Retrieval School at the Faculty of Computer Science as an Associate Professor. Dr Farouni told the HSE News Service why he decided to move to Russia and work at HSE.

The competition will take place from October 26 to November 1, bringing together students from leading engineering universities and academics from Russia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The Games are being held under the coordination of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Roscosmos State Corporation. HSE University is the operator of the International Space Games.

Russian universities, with the participation of HSE University, Sber, and Z-union, have developed a neural network that can simultaneously assess the risk of 15 types of pathology from retinal photographs, including not only eye diseases but also cardiovascular conditions. The AI system can help clinicians detect potentially concerning changes at an early stage, identify signs reflecting the condition of retinal blood vessels, and determine whether a patient may need further examination. 

The International Laboratory for Supercomputer Atomistic Modelling and Multi-Scale Analysis at HSE University held a major conference on molecular dynamics. Participants had the opportunity to attend all the presentations, while speakers were given as much time as they needed to answer questions. The HSE News Service interviewed Grigory Smirnov, Head of the Laboratory, and Genri Norman, Chief Research Fellow, about the conference preparations and the discussions it generated.

In mid-September 2026, UNESCO held an online seminar entitled ‘Quantum Science and the Future of Quantum Technologies.’ During a panel discussion, Alexander Sokolov, Director of the International Research and Educational Foresight Centre at HSE ISSEK, presented the results of ISSEK’s Quantum Leap foresight study to international experts.

Researchers from HSE University’s Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience have synthesised the findings of their previous studies on brain development in children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy and arthrogryposis. Their analysis shows that impaired motor function in early childhood not only limits children’s motor experience but also affects memory, categorical thinking, and information processing. The study has been published in Frontiers in Psychology.

Engineers and researchers at the HSE Institute for Robotics Systems have successfully run the first tests of an AI-powered environmental recognition model deployed on a robot dog. The robot navigated around the HSE Pokrovka building and Pokrovsky Bulvar, analysing the surrounding environment to identify its location.

Vincent Fardeau, Associate Professor at HSE ICEF, has reached a major career milestone: he recently published his paper ‘Asymmetric Thin Markets’ in the Journal of Financial Economics, successfully passed his major academic review, and received tenure. In this interview, Vincent discusses the story behind the paper, explains the concept of asymmetric thin markets, and shares his advice for young scholars aiming to publish in top-tier journals.

A group of HSE University students and teachers has returned from Jilin International Studies University, where the students took part in a summer language internship. A total of 85 undergraduate and postgraduate students from various faculties across all four HSE University campuses travelled to China. The programme included intensive Chinese language study, in-depth immersion in Chinese culture, history, and contemporary life, as well as ethnographic and recreational trips.