HSE Economists Use Search Queries to Forecast Birth Rates
Researchers from the HSE Faculty of Economic Sciences have shown that the accuracy of birth rate forecasts for Russia can be improved by almost 50% by incorporating the dynamics of online search queries related to pregnancy and childbirth into forecasting models. In the best-performing models, the forecasting error fell from 4.6% to 3.2%. The findings have been published in Populations and Economics.
When Looking at Their Own Faces, Men Forget Everything
In an experiment involving 15 healthy men, scientists at HSE University investigated how different phases of the cardiac cycle influence the excitability of the motor cortex when participants viewed either their own photograph or the faces of strangers. The researchers found that when participants looked at their own image, the brain’s response to signals from the heart was weaker, meaning that the influence of cardiac activity on the motor cortex decreased. This finding came contrary to expectations, as self-focused attention was thought to enhance the brain's sensitivity to internal bodily signals. The study has been published in Frontiers in Signal Processing.
HSE University Holds Its First Summer School in Svalbard
The Centre for Interdisciplinary Arctic Studies at the Institute for Economics of Natural Resources and Climate Change organised HSE University's first summer school on international relations in the Svalbard archipelago. Alongside lectures and fieldwork, 14 participants from Russia and South Korea developed practical solutions for implementing multilateral cooperation projects in the Arctic.
‘Come with an Open Mind’: Exchange Student from China on Studying in St Petersburg
Lin Meiran, an exchange student, spent the autumn semester at HSE University–St Petersburg. She took courses on game theory, artificial intelligence, and generative models and explored the cultural side of the city and made new friends. Read on to find out why HSE University–St Petersburg is a great destination for exchange students.
‘If You Want to Study Seriously and Experience a Truly International Academic Environment, HSE Is the Right Place’
Alessandro Locatelli, from Florence, Italy, is a third-year student of the Bachelor's in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication at the HSE School of Foreign Languages. In his interview with the HSE News Service, he reflects on why it’s important to integrate a cultural dimension into language learning, what makes HSE lecturers special, and how curiosity motivated his decision to study in Russia.
HSE University and RREDA Join Forces to Support 2026 Renewable Energy of the Planet Competition
HSE University and the Russia Renewable Energy Development Association (RREDA) have signed a partnership and information cooperation agreement to support Renewable Energy of the Planet—2026, a national competition with international participation for students and early-career researchers. Applications are open on the competition's website until September 20, 2026.
HSE Researchers Discover Who Eats Out in Russia—And Why
Around one-third of Russians (31.3%) rarely eat out or buy ready-made meals. The core group of active consumers—those who eat out or purchase prepared food almost every day or several times a week—accounts for only about 9% of the population. These are the findings of a study conducted by the HSE Institute for Social Policy. According to the researchers eating out is no longer a marker of high social status in Russia.
'Go Beyond': HSE University–St Petersburg Student on Her Exchange Studies in Malaysia and New Experiences
Elizaveta Fomina, second-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Political Science and World Politics,' spent the autumn semester at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. Read on to find out why you should choose a mobility programme in Asia and how studying abroad helps to develop independence and build global plans.
HSE’s Development Projects Named Among the World’s Top 15 Urban Development Practices
A development project for Novy Urengoy, prepared by the Vysokovsky Graduate School of Urbanism at the HSE Faculty of Urban and Regional Development (FURD), has beenshortlisted for the Guangzhou Award for Urban Innovation, one of the world’s leading international competitions in urban planning.
Scientists Model How Interactions Between Societies Can Trigger Chaotic Behaviour
Scientists at HSE MIEM have proposed a mathematical model explaining how interactions between societies can influence their stability. Based on the classical theory of evolutionary games, the study reveals an unexpected effect: even a weak informational influence of one society on another can cause one society to remain stable while the other exhibits chaotic behaviour among its individual members. The study has been published in the International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos.