Research & Expertise News at HSE University

From August 26–29, 2025, the largest annual linguistics conference, Societas Linguistica Europaea, took place in Bordeaux, France. Doctoral students and researchers from HSE University took part in the event. The paper ‘Lability Drift in Modern Aramaic languages’ by Elena Shvedova was highly praised by the expert community and took first place among PhD student presentations. In an interview with the HSE News Service, Elena Shvedova spoke about her research and the conference itself.

An international team, including scientists from HSE University, has demonstrated for the first time that the anterior and posterior portions of the human hippocampus have distinct roles in associative memory. Using stereo-EEG recordings, the researchers found that the rostral (anterior) portion of the human hippocampus is activated during encoding and object recognition, while the caudal (posterior) portion is involved in associative recall, restoring connections between the object and its context. These findings contribute to our understanding of the structure of human memory and may inform clinical practice. A paper with the study findings has been published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

Mark Angelo Gajardo, graduate of the Master's programme 'Comparative Politics of Eurasia,' presented his research at the 28th World Congress of Political Science organised by the International Political Science Association (IPSA).

On September 5, 2025, at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), HSE University and Sber signed an agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation in economic, financial, and business education between Russia and India, as well as developing continuing education initiatives in both countries (including the implementation of joint, network, and exchange programmes). The agreement was signed by HSE Vice Rector Tatyana Vasilyeva and Sberbank’s First Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board Alexander Vedyakhin.

Researchers from the HSE Institute of Education conducted a sociological study at four small, non-selective universities and revealed, based on 135 interviews, the dual nature of student care at such institutions: a combination of genuine support with continuous supervision, reminiscent of parental care. This study offers the first in-depth look at how formal and informal student care practices are intertwined in the post-Soviet educational context. The study has been published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education.

A team of Russian researchers, including scientists from HSE University, used AI to analyse 4,500 students’ subscriptions to VK social media communities. The study found that algorithms can accurately identify both high-performing students and those struggling with their studies. The paper has been published in IEEE Access.

The annual Student Research Paper Competition (SRPC) offers students the chance to showcase their work, such as term papers or theses. It is a valuable opportunity to receive expert feedback and recommendations aimed at improving research, as well as to take the first steps in an academic career. Below we outline the key features and deadlines for submitting entries.

Researchers from the HSE Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users have discovered how social cues in the design of news websites—such as reader comments, the number of reposts, or the author’s name—can help build user trust. An experiment with 137 volunteers showed that such interface elements make a website appear more trustworthy and persuasive to users, with the strongest cue being links to the media’s social networks. The study's findings have been published in Human-Computer Interaction.