For the second time, the RAEX Agency compiled a rating of the best universities in Russia in the field of science and mathematics. The list includes 78 universities representing all Russian federal districts. Novosibirsk State University improved its position, rising fr om 8th to 7th in the ranking and received the highest rating among regional universities. This rating was conducted within the framework of the “Staffing Technological Sovereignty in Russia” project. It was implemented by the RAEX Agency with support from the Andrey Melnichenko Foundation. The natural sciences and mathematics field includes mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and fundamental earth sciences. The distribution of places in the ranking was influenced by three factors: demand for graduates in the labor market, educational quality, and scientific results.
NSU Rector and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Mikhail Fedoruk commented on the results,
When evaluating universities in the field of science and mathematics, the scientific component is a more significant factor. The position of NSU as a research university is traditionally strong in this sphere. The Akademgorodok ecosystem, that includes the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Institutes and Academpark, creates the necessary conditions to preserve and develop fundamental education and student research work. It also opens up opportunities for the University to participate in the development of new technologies and solutions for industry. By introducing new educational programs, we are proactive preparing specialists who will be in demand tomorrow.
Vladimir Blinov, Physics Department Dean and Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, provided more details on the University strategy,
One of the key factors is the unique approach to training scientific personnel that is applied at the NSU Physics Department. In the first two years of a Bachelor's degree, training takes place mainly at the University wh ere basic courses in physics are taught. Starting in the third year and continuing into the Master's Program, training is conducted in laboratories at more than 20 SB RAS institutes under the guidance of researchers working at the forefront of science in their fields. In recent years, the Physics Department implemented new educational trajectories with an engineering focus. For example, there is a Master's Program in Medical Physics and its graduates are in great demand by Russian high-tech medical centers. Another promising area is “Space and Special Instrument Engineering,” which trains personnel for enterprises that are part of the Roscosmos State Corporation. In addition, the Physics Department is actively developing the “Astrophysics and Cosmology” field which is not represented in the Novosibirsk Scientific Center institutes.
Timur Nasybullov, Deputy Dean of Development at the NSU Mechanics and Mathematics Department and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, spoke about the factors that made it possible for the University to improve its position in the ranking,
There is a Mathematical Center at the Mechanics and Mathematics Department and its creation has led to important systemic changes. Currently, the Center has 10 research groups that cover a wide range of promising scientific areas. As part of the Center’s work, two new educational programs have been launched at the undergraduate level: “Engineering School: Artificial Intelligence and Applied Engineering” and “Fundamental Mathematics Research Group.” Two more programs were launched at the Mechanics and Mathematics Department: last year, “System Programming” and this year, “Mathematical Methods and Information Technologies in Mechanics”. We are also developing projects that allow universities from other regions to join our activities. Among them is the “Big Mathematical Workshop”, which was held hits year in four cities: Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, and Maikop. We are also building systematic interaction with partners from the real sector of the economy and, on average, implement 10 projects per year. The Department has a laboratory of applied digital technologies that is dedicated to solving industry problems.
The top 50 universities in the field of science and mathematics includes universities from 27 regions in the Russian Federation. The largest share of ranked institutions is in Moscow (13 universities) and St. Petersburg (5 universities). Seven Russian regions are represented on the list by two universities and 18 regions have one university on the list. The top 10 is dominated by universities from the two capitals. Of the universities located in the regions, the highest ratings, in addition to NSU, were received by the Ural Federal University (9th place), Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University (12th place), and Tomsk State University (13th place).
Almost all the Priority 2030 program grantees in the field of “research leadership” were included in the list of the strongest universities in the natural sciences.
