
‘Collective Action Can Lead to Real Progress for Rural Women Everywhere’
Gabriella Leelee Enchill is a third-year student at the HSE University Doctoral School of Sociology. She has a bachelor’s in Integrated Community Development from the University for Development Studies in her native Ghana and a master’s in Population and Development from HSE University. Her current research focuses on gender inequality in rural Ghanaian communities. Gabriella spoke to the HSE News Service about what her studies have uncovered about inequality in the region, how women can gain agency by banding together, and why studying these communities helps empower women around the world.

Scientists Discover One of the Longest-Lasting Cases of COVID-19
An international team, including researchers from HSE University, examined an unusual SARS-CoV-2 sample obtained from an HIV-positive patient. Genetic analysis revealed multiple mutations and showed that the virus had been evolving inside the patient’s body for two years. This finding supports the theory that the virus can persist in individuals for years, gradually accumulate mutations, and eventually spill back into the population. The study's findings have been published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.

‘First, You Need to Learn to Understand the Market’: HSE University Graduate School of Business Students on Overseas Module in Morocco
From January 11 to 17, students from the HSE University Graduate School of Business (GSB) participated in a mobility programme in Africa, travelling to Morocco in order to understand how to build business dialogue with the Global South.

HSE Scientists Use MEG for Precise Language Mapping in the Brain
Scientists at the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have demonstrated a more accurate way to identify the boundaries of language regions in the brain. They used magnetoencephalography (MEG) together with a sentence-completion task, which activates language areas and reveals their functioning in real time. This approach can help clinicians plan surgeries more effectively and improve diagnostic accuracy in cases where fMRI is not the optimal method. The study has been published in the European Journal of Neuroscience.

‘Students Face Similar Challenges While Working on Their Theses’
The HSE News Service spoke to Prof. Maxim Nikitin, Deputy Director of HSE ICEFand Academic Director of the Master’s in Financial Economics, about the college’s international student body and burgeoning partnerships with foreign universities. We also spoke to Minghao Yan, a graduate from China who was awarded the highest marks for the defence of his master’s thesis on gambling behaviour.

For the First Time, Linguists Describe the History of Russian Sign Language Interpreter Training
A team of researchers from Russia and the United Kingdom has, for the first time, provided a detailed account of the emergence and evolution of the Russian Sign Language (RSL) interpreter training system. This large-scale study spans from the 19th century to the present day, revealing both the achievements and challenges faced by the professional community. Results have been published in The Routledge Handbook of Sign Language Translation and Interpreting.

The Path of an Expert: The New Head of the School of Asian Studies, Alexey Efimov, on China, Career Choices, and Training Modern Specialists
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.

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.

HSE Scientists Develop DeepGQ: AI-based 'Google Maps' for G-Quadruplexes
Researchers at the HSE AI Research Centre have developed an AI model that opens up new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases, including brain cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Using artificial intelligence, the team studied G-quadruplexes—structures that play a crucial role in cellular function and in the development of organs and tissues. The findings have been published in Scientific Reports.

Exchange Student From Armenia on His Studies at HSE University–St Petersburg
Daniel Minasian came from Armenia as an exchange student to spend a semester at HSE University–St Petersburg. Majoring in Korean Studies, Daniel chose courses offered by the Institute of Asian and African Studies. Read on to discover how his exchange studies went and what this experience brought him.

