On Campus

This year, HSE University marks twenty years since the launch of its Software Engineering field of study. In February 2006, the HSE Academic Council decided to establish the Department of Software Engineering—the first of its kind in Russia. The department was later reorganised into the School, which since 2014 has been part of the Faculty of Computer Science.

From April 1 to 3, 2026, the HSE Pokrovka Campus will host the Fourth Robotics Festival—one of the key events organised by the Faculty of Computer Science for anyone interested in robotics, programming, and engineering creativity. The festival will bring together robotics competitions, discussions, educational formats, and demonstrations of technological developments.

In January, HSE University hosted the third GameDevFest of the Faculty of Computer Science—a computer game festival organised by the School of Software Engineering and the project group ‘Computer Game Software Engineering—PIKI’ with the participation of the Vintorog game studio. Guests had the opportunity to play a variety of video games, including demo versions created by FCS students and other aspiring game designers.

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.

Historical sabre fencing is actively developing at HSE University. In 2024, a student club dedicated to this martial art was established, and recently the HSE Open Cup was held in the atrium on Pokrovsky Bulvar. The tournament brought together representatives of 21 universities from different regions of Russia—from Crimea to the Far East—as well as from the Republic of Belarus.

Researchers from the AI and Digital Science Institute (part of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science) presented cutting-edge AI studies, noted for their scientific novelty and practical relevance, at the AI Journey 2025 International Conference. A research project by Maxim Rakhuba, Head of the Laboratory for Matrix and Tensor Methods in Machine Learning, received the AI Leaders 2025 award. Aibek Alanov, Head of the Centre of Deep Learning and Bayesian Methods, was among the finalists.

Yandex is collaborating with leading Russian universities to launch a new educational programme called Physical AI Garage. This initiative unites five universities—HSE University, ITMO, MIPT, MAI, and MEPhI—to train future professionals in physical artificial intelligence by tackling real-world industrial challenges. The programme is free, and participants will receive scholarships.

HSE UNITY FEST, a large-scale, three-day celebration of national cultures, has taken place at HSE University. The event was an opportunity to make new friends and experience a true sense of unity, and visitors could immerse themselves in the cultures of different nations, explore their traditions and values, and take part in workshops and games. Students shared their impressions of the event with the HSE News Service.

The autumn school of the HSE Endowment Fund’s Donors Club has taken place at HSE’s Pokrovsky Bulvar campus. The event brought together alumni, as well as winners and nominees of the HSE Outstanding Alumni Award. The two-day programme was packed with lectures, workshops, and discussions on leadership, the marketing of the future, conflict management, and the use of artificial intelligence in business.

The Institute of Asian and African Studies at HSE University-St Petersburg is preparing to hold the international conference 'Army, Elites and Society in the Middle East and North Africa'. How large research projects appear and why international cooperation is important for Asian and African studies—read on to find out from Milana Iliushina, head of the Department of Middle Eastern and African Studies.