New Method for Describing Graphene Simplifies Analysis of Nanomaterials
An international team, including scientists from HSE University, has proposed a new mathematical method to analyse the structure of graphene. The scientists demonstrated that the characteristics of a graphene lattice can be represented using a three-step random walk model of a particle. This approach allows the lattice to be described more quickly and without cumbersome calculations. The study has been published in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical.
Graphene is one of the most recent and widely discussed materials of the 21st century. It consists of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb, hexagonal lattice structure. Graphene is exceptionally strong, an excellent conductor of electricity, nearly transparent, and highly flexible. It has already been used in the production of conductive films, sensors, and miniature transistors. Similar structures occur in other carbon forms, such as fullerenes—closed spherical molecules composed of pentagons and hexagons—used in drug delivery and solar cell technology. These materials have numerous structural variants that directly influence their properties, including molecular stability. Experimentally testing each variant is costly and difficult, so scientists are seeking simpler methods to predict their characteristics.
An international team of scientists from Germany, Russia, France, and Japan, including researchers from HSE University, has proposed such a method. They simplified the description of the key parameters that determine the lattice’s behaviour into a three-step random walk model.
In this model, an imaginary particle starts at the origin of a plane and takes three equal-length steps in random directions. The target lattice parameter is then defined by the final position of the particle along the x-axis. Mathematically, this is expressed as the sum of the cosines of three random numbers corresponding to the step directions. For the calculations, it is enough to repeatedly generate random numbers, substitute them into the formulas, and add the results. Repeating this procedure many times yields values that capture the key properties of the lattice. This method describes the material without complex computations and simplifies the analysis.
This simplified calculation method is useful not only for graphene. The authors suggest that their approach could also be applied to other carbon structures, such as fullerenes.
Victor Buchstaber
'We hypothesised that as the size of a molecule increases, random fullerenes become locally more similar in structure to an infinite graphene lattice. If this can be rigorously proven, the spectral properties of fullerenes could be derived from those of graphene, greatly simplifying their analysis,' explains Viktor Buchstaber from the International Laboratory of Algebraic Topology and Its Applications at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science.
See also:
HSE Computer Science Researchers Win Gold Medal at International Machine Learning Competition
A team comprising HSE International Laboratory of Statistical and Computational Genomics researchers Aleksei Shmelev and Nikita Chervov, 2025 graduate of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science’s Master’s programme in Data Analysis in Biology and Medicine Ivan Gevorkov, and two students from the United States achieved an outstanding result at the 2026 NeuroGolf international machine learning championship. The team won a gold medal and placed seventh overall.
‘Working with AI Solves a Wide Range of Engineering Problems’
Artificial intelligence is a working tool based on a balanced combination of algorithms and engineering. Experts and doctoral students from the HSE Moscow Institute of Electronics and Mathematics explain how AI technologies can improve an application, device, or system, and what engineering tasks are solved in the process.
‘The Peak of Stupidity’ and ‘The Valley of Despair’: HSE Economists Propose an Explanation for the Dunning–Kruger Effect
The Dunning–Kruger effect, which describes a sharp surge in self-confidence among beginners followed by an equally rapid decline as they gain experience, can be explained by the nature of the learning process and the acquisition of new knowledge. This conclusion was reached by Andrey Vorchik of the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences together with independent researcher Murat Mamyshev. They developed a mathematical model of learning and demonstrated how subjective confidence is formed and changes as knowledge accumulates, as well as how teachers can reduce the ‘valley of despair’ experienced by learners.
Toffee and Risk: Scientists Discover Why People Who Crave Sweets Make More Impulsive Choices
Having a sweet tooth may be linked not only to eating habits but also to the way people make decisions. Researchers at HSE University have found that people with a preference for sweet foods tend to behave more impulsively—not because they want immediate rewards, but because they are less willing to tolerate uncertainty. These findings may help improve treatments for addiction. The study findings have been published in Frontiers in Psychology.
Advancing Collaboration: HSE Faculty of Computer Science and Harbin Institute of Technology Hold Joint Seminar
From July 13 to 16, 2026, the Faculty of Computer Science hosted the Russian–Sino Research Seminar on Machine Learning Applications, organised by the HSE Laboratory for Cloud and Mobile Technologies in partnership with the Harbin Institute of Technology (China). A delegation comprising seven students and three university representatives travelled to Moscow to take part in an intensive four-day programme.
Physicists Find a Way to Model Ion Parameters in Plasma in Seconds
Researchers from HSE University and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) have developed a set of simple analytical methods for calculating the properties of heavy ions in helium under the influence of a strong electric field. The new approach speeds up calculations of ion mobility and ion–molecule reaction rates by thousands of times while maintaining sufficient accuracy for plasma jet modelling. The findings have been published in the journal Physica Scripta.
A New Section on AI and a Prizewinning Paper: Early-Career HSE Researchers Take Part in IEEE EDM Conference
The 27th IEEE International Conference of Young Professionals in Electron Devices and Materials (EDM) has taken place in the Altai Republic. This year, researchers from HSE University presented the results of their research and were involved in organising a new section on artificial intelligence. A paper by HSE master’s student Rodion Sidorenko was awarded third place in the research paper competition at the conference.
Two Years of Growth or Decline: How to Choose an Investment Strategy
Economists from HSE University, together with colleagues from international universities, have analysed stock market movements over almost a century and proposed an investment strategy that could have delivered returns nearly twice as high as the market average. Their research suggests following a momentum strategy during periods of sustained market growth and switching to a value strategy after prolonged market declines. The study has been published in the Journal of Banking and Finance.
Researchers Reveal Link Between Attention and Communication Difficulties in Autism
Researchers at HSE University have examined how communication difficulties in children with autism are related to brain function. The findings show that not only language networks but also attention networks play an important role. The weaker the connections involved in maintaining focus and switching attention, the more pronounced communication difficulties were. The study has been published in European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
HSE Initiates Development of Ethical Standard for Anthropomorphic Robots
Beyond technological solutions, the development of anthropomorphic robotics also demands ethical ones. In July 2026, the HSE Institute for Robotics Systems hosted a foresight session dedicated to developing an Ethical Standard for Anthropomorphic Robotic Complexes. Representatives from businesses, government bodies, scientific organisations, and universities gathered to discuss key ethical and legal issues surrounding the development of anthropomorphic robotic complexes. The main outcome of the meeting was a draft of the Ethical Standard.