The Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok (MCA), a world-class mathematical institution, one of several that were established as part of the Russian national "Science" project, announced the results of their postdoc competition for foreigners. An international group of experts reviewed 23 applications and selected six to join the Program. The winners are: Ivan Bailera (Spain), Rhys John Evans (Great Britain), Marta Fiori Carones (Italy), Yu Jiang (China), Oorna Mitra (India), and Emiliano Sequeira Manzino (Uruguay). They will begin their work on January 1, 2021 and join various scientific groups at the Mathematical Center. MCA will cover all postdoc expenses in Novosibirsk. This includes salaries, housing, and travel expenses for attending conferences.
To apply, candidates had to submit a short scientific biography, a motivation letter, a draft of their proposed scientific research, and two letters of recommendation fr om respected specialists in their specific scientific field. Selection criteria included research experience, publication activity, and fluency in English. Eligibility was restricted to researchers under 36 who defended their dissertations no more than five years ago.
MCA was created in November 2019 on the basis of a consortium that brought together Novosibirsk State University (NSU) and the Sobolev Institute of Mathematics SB RAS. It is implementing a fundamentally new system to integrate education, research, and high-tech business in mathematics and related fields. One of the goals is to attract young, promising researchers to work in Siberia. The high level of applications submitted for the competition demonstrated that the reputation of Siberian scientists and scientific schools is capable of attracting talented researchers to Siberia.
Currently, MCA is involved in scientific research related to 10 modern mathematical topics including multidimensional analysis of computational complexity and provably optimal algorithms, algebraic-logical methods for solving cryptography problems, universal algebraic geometry and machine learning, cryptography and information security. MCA postdocs will work with scientific groups dealing with digitization of mathematical models and intelligent data processing systems and the theory and algorithmic algebraic combinatorics and combinatorial algebra.
Integrating Russian mathematical research with international science is impossible without the creation of an infrastructure for international cooperation. Young researchers come with fresh work experience and interest in research topics not covered by the Novosibirsk mathematical community. The geography of scientific and personal contacts expands and both sides are enriched with new methods and knowledge.
Winner Emiliano Sequeira Manzino from Uruguay talked about the postdoc,
Being chosen to work at the Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok was a great success for me. This new scientific community will give me a broader understanding of mathematics, as well as scientific connections that will be useful in my future career. I hope to gain new technical and scientific skills, find new approaches to my problem, and maybe gain experience in research in a completely new field. I am looking forward to meeting people I can work with and who will give me new knowledge and experience as well as sharing the best practices and techniques that I have learned. I live in Uruguay and traveling so far from home to a country with a completely different culture, including research and education, and scientific traditions is exciting. I hope this experience will teach me a lot.
A postdoc is a young scientist that was awarded a PhD less than five years ago and who is committed to continuing research. Postdocs receive temporary research positions in a research and educational institution wh ere they did not get their PhD. This could be in another city or even another country. A postdoc works under a scientific advisor and is usually a part of a broader research group. The postdoc can either be included in existing scientific research or develop their own project. In addition, MCA postdocs are required to give special lectures or conduct seminars for NSU seniors.
