News

In September 2025, the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development (FURD) hosted a delegation of leading scholars and urban development experts from China. Two seminars were held at the Shukhov Lab with the participation of Chinese colleagues: the first focused on green infrastructure, while the second explored the theme of dynamic urbanism. In addition, a meeting between the Chinese delegation and representatives of FURD took place at the university’s main building on Pokrovsky Bulvar. The participants discussed opportunities for expanding cooperation between universities and research centres.

Researchers from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain have developed a tool for accurately assessing reading skills in adults with reading impairments. It can be used, for instance, before and after sessions with a language therapist. The tool includes two texts that differ in content but are equal in complexity: participants were observed to read them at the same speed, make a similar number of errors, and understand the content to the same degree. Such parallel texts will enable more accurate diagnosis of dyslexia and better monitoring of the effectiveness of interventions aimed at addressing it. The paper has been published in Educational Studies.

In September 2025, Nizhny Novgorod became the centre of the international youth movement, hosting around 2,000 participants from 120 regions of Russia and abroad at the World Youth Festival Assembly. Students of HSE University–Nizhny Novgorod’s Foreign Languages and Intercultural Business Communication, Fundamental and Applied Linguistics, and International Bachelor’s in Business and Economics programmes were involved in the event in a variety of roles, from attachés and volunteers to performers and speakers.

Studies of molecular mechanisms of longevity make it possible to explore the potential for a significant increase in life expectancy, including active longevity, when older people maintain their ability to work and sustain social connections. Maxim Shkurnikov, Head of the Laboratory for Research on Molecular Mechanisms of Longevity, spoke with the HSE News Service about the laboratory’s work.

Computational methods for analysing ancient and modern genomes make it possible to study the formation of genetic diversity in populations, reconstruct their history of mixing and migration, and trace the development of environmental adaptations. The HSE International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics applies mathematical methods and genetic data to address a wide range of issues across fields such as anthropology, epidemiology, and criminology. The HSE News Service spoke with the laboratory head, Vladimir Shchur, about its work.

Our perception of time depends on heart rate—this is the conclusion reached by neuroscientists at HSE University. In their experiment, volunteers watched short videos designed to evoke specific emotions and estimated each video's duration, while researchers recorded their heart activity using ECG. The study found that the slower a participant's heart rate, the shorter they perceived the video to be—especially when watching unpleasant content. The study has been published in Frontiers in Psychology.

World Deaf Day is traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday of September. This year, the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences joined the celebration and, together with the Moscow branch of the All-Russian Society of the Deaf (VOG Moscow), launched a study of the needs of hearing-impaired Moscow residents in terms of social services and accessible environments.

From 8 to 12 September 2025, the 7th EUROSOIL Congress took place in Seville, Spain, bringing together more than 1,000 soil scientists from 63 countries under the topic “Advancing Soil Knowledge for a Sustainable Future.” The congress opened with a series of keynote lectures by leading global experts. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Rattan Lal highlighted the pivotal role of soil in the 21st century; Panos Panagos (Joint Research Centre, European Commission) discussed challenges and opportunities for soil science and policy as well as presented the new Soil Monitoring and Resilience Law; Claire Chenu (INRAE) delivered a lecture on soil carbon science for EU policy. Heike Knicker explored the biochemical effects of biochar; Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo spoke about soil biodiversity under global change; Laura B. Reyes Sánchez addressed soil science education; and Peter Schad discussed the future of international soil classification.

As part of the Rediscovering Russia student expedition programme, HSE University organised a research trip under the framework of the School for Young Humanities Scholars to the New Chersonesos museum and church complex in Sevastopol. The results of this expedition will form the basis for proposals on educational projects aimed at shaping young people’s historical memory of the role of Chersonesos, Crimea, and the Byzantine legacy in the history of Russian culture and statehood.

For the first time in Russia, a team of scientists and clinicians has conducted a large-scale genetic study of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The team, which included researchers from the International Laboratory of Bioinformatics at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science, analysed the genomes of over a hundred patients and found that approximately one in ten carried pathogenic mutations in the BMPR2 gene, which is responsible for vascular growth. Three of these mutations were described for the first time. The study has been published in Respiratory Research.