
Language Mapping in the Operating Room: HSE Neurolinguists Assist Surgeons in Complex Brain Surgery
Researchers from the HSE Center for Language and Brain took part in brain surgery on a patient who had been seriously wounded in the SMO. A shell fragment approximately five centimetres long entered through the eye socket, penetrated the cranial cavity, and became lodged in the brain, piercing the temporal lobe responsible for language. Surgeons at the Burdenko Main Military Clinical Hospital removed the foreign object while the patient remained conscious. During the operation, neurolinguists conducted language tests to ensure that language function was preserved.

HSE Scholars Win Young Russian Mathematics Contest
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.

From Atoms to Regulatory Systems: Highlights from Project Defences of Scientific Initiative Competition
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.

‘Life Is for the Brave’: HSE University–St Petersburg Student from Mexico Wins StudRussia Competition
Gisel Sarahi Vergara Herrera, second-year student of the Master’s programme ‘Arts and Culture Management,’ became a winner of the StudRussia all-Russian competition for international students. Her project was awarded the first prize in the ‘Creative Spirit’ category. Read on to find out about Gisel’s work and experience of participating in such a large-scale contest for international students.

Impressive Growth, Dynamic Momentum, Tangible Success: HSE University in 2025
Heads of HSE University’s departments and campuses discuss their accomplishments and the implementation of global initiatives with HSE University Life.

Two HSE Teams Reach ICPC Finals
HSE students delivered an outstanding performance in the semi-final round of the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), which took place in St Petersburg on December 15–17, 2025. Two teams—FFTilted from HSE University–Moscow and Muffix Sassif from HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod—will represent the university at the ICPC World Finals, scheduled for 2026. Other HSE teams also won gold and bronze medals. These results confirm the high level of training of HSE students in competitive programming.

Students of Master's in International Management Create Innovative Business Stories on AIM2Flourish Platform
On December 4, an award ceremony for participants of the AIM2Flourish international programme on sustainable business was held at the HSE University Graduate School of Business. This year, the initiative involved second-year students of the Master's in International Management united by their interest in innovative business models aimed at achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

‘I Hope My Contribution Will Help the Development and Preservation of the Abkhaz Language’
Miron Baratelia, a student of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science, has integrated the Abkhaz language into the Yandex Translate service. The language is now available for translation from and into all languages supported by the platform. Miron spoke about his internship at a Russian multinational IT company and his successfully completed project in an interview with the HSE News Service.

‘Kindness Fills the Heart’
On International Volunteer Day, December 5, 2025, the HSE Cultural Centre hosted its annual awards ceremony for students actively engaged in volunteer work. Throughout the year, these students supported the HSE Centre for Leadership and Volunteer Work by participating in a wide variety of events both on and off campus.

HSE Students Win IX CTF Russian Cup
The CTF Russian Cup is one of the country’s key cybersecurity competitions and is held in the CTF (capture the flag) format. The semi-finals and the final took place in December at the Smart City Pavilion at VDNH. The winners were the HSE student team VDNKh, whose members are students of the HSE Tikhonov Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM) and the HSE Faculty of Computer Science.

