St Petersburg University recognises its most media-proactive scholars
St Petersburg University has announced its annual results in science popularisation and named its leading voices in the media environment. At the forefront are the University scholars whose news about their research garnered most attention, sparked discussions, and were widely cited across media outlets and social platforms.
Polina Ogorodnikova, Acting Head of the Marketing and Media Communication Department at St Petersburg University, reported that in 2024, the University’s Press Service produced an unprecedented number of popular science articles.
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articles highlighting the research and developments of St Petersburg University’s scholars were published on the University website in 2024, (by the time of the awarding ceremony).
Additionally, in the year of its 300th anniversary, St Petersburg University launched the popular science podcast "Heinrich Terahertz," showcasing the work of the University’s researchers. Throughout the year, 23 episodes were broadcast, exploring a diverse range of topics from information security and GMOs to crocodylomorphs and nuclear physics.
Another University initiative is the portal "St Petersburg University in action," an information resource dedicated to the most promising applied research, developments, inventions, and projects by St Petersburg University experts, scholars, students, and graduates in the most rapidly growing sectors of the Russian economy. The portal was recognised as one of the best projects popularising the work of Russian researchers, becoming a winner of the 10th All-Russian Award "For Fidelity to Science."
Young St Petersburg University scholars most actively engaged with the media over the past year include: Rodion Reznik, Head of the Laboratory of New Semiconductor Materials for Quantum Informatics and Telecommunications at St Petersburg University; Anna Samsonova, an engineering researcher in the Laboratory of Crystal Photonics at St Petersburg University; Mikhail Kinzhalov, Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Organic Chemistry at St Petersburg University; and Andrei Shishov, Professor in the Department of Analytical Chemistry at St Petersburg University. The researchers shared news about their research work in the media, provided expert reviews and participated in popular science programmes.
The awarding ceremony was held in the Petrovsky Hall as part of the Science Lunch Event "St Petersburg University ScienceCom Award 2024."
Professor Andrei Shishov, a winner of the 2022 Presidential Prize in Science and Innovation for Young Scientists, is developing environmentally-friendly sustainable eutectic solvents. Rodion Reznik, together with colleagues from the Laboratory of New Semiconductor Materials for Quantum Informatics and Telecommunications at St Petersburg University, continues to advance quantum technologies for microelectronics, a research field pioneered by Alexey Ekimov, a notable alumnus of the University and laureate of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Researchers from the Laboratory of Crystal Photonics at St Petersburg University, including the engineering researcher Anna Samsonova, successfully measured the refractive index dispersion of the MAPbI3 perovskite — a promising semiconductor for diode and laser applications — at temperatures close to absolute zero. A team of chemists led by Associate Professor Mikhail Kinzhalov is developing new catalysts as part of a research project supported by a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
Media materials featuring Kirill Antonets, Leading Research Associate in the Department of Cytology and Histology at St Petersburg University, generated significant media attention and expert discussion, becoming the most discussed and cited. In 2021, Kirill Antonets and Anton Nizhnikov, Head of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology at St Petersburg University, were awarded the Russian President’s Prize for Young Scientists for their discovery of amyloid proteins in plants and symbiotic bacteria.
Pavel Skrelin, Head of the Department of Phonetics and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages at St Petersburg University, was recognised for his appearance in the most listened-to episode of the Heinrich Terahertz podcast. The conversation with Pavel Skrelin on language and its variability garnered over 2,000 listeners.
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episodes of the popular science podcast "Heinrich Terahertz" have been released in 2024.
The most popular content discussed on social media platforms was materials featuring Evgeny Abakumov, Acting Head of the Department of Applied Ecology at St Petersburg University, and Uliana Kochetkova, Associate Professor in the Department of Phonetics and Methods of Teaching Foreign Languages at St Petersburg University. The post about the development of a method for recognising irony by artificial intelligence, created with the participation of Uliana Kochetkova, garnered over 5,000 views on St Petersburg University’s popular science Telegram channel "Landau will call." Additionally, the master’s programme "Artificial Intelligence in Speech Modelling," developed under the supervision of Uliana Kochetkova and Pavel Skrelin, received an award in the field of cybernetics and artificial intelligence from the Government of St Petersburg.
Media content about Evgeny Abakumov’s research was cited more than 300 times on social media platforms. Evgeny Abakumov, together with his colleagues from the world-class scientific centre "Agrotechnologies of the Future," which includes St Petersburg University, developed a cow dung-based superabsorbent polymer to combat moisture deficit in agricultural soils.
Among the most media-proactive scholars of 2024 were named: Raul Gainetdinov, Director of the Institute of Translational Biomedicine at St Petersburg University, Academic Supervisor of the Pirogov Clinic of High Medical Technologies of St Petersburg University, laureate of the first national award in the field of future technologies "Vyzov" ("Challenge"); Vadim Kukushkin, Professor in the Department of Physical Organic Chemistry at St Petersburg University, Full Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Professor Pavel Skutschas, Head of the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University; and Yana Virolainen, Research Associate in the mega-grant Ozone Layer and Upper Atmosphere Research Laboratory at St Petersburg University.
Raul Gainetdinov and Vadim Kukushkin are among the top 2% of scientists whose works are most in demand and frequently cited by the scientific community. Their research and developments consistently attract media attention. Materials about Pavel Skutschas’ palaeontological research have received at least 50 citations in popular science and federal media outlets.
Among the scholars whose applied research and developments resonated with business partners were Sergey Ermakov, Acting Head of the Department of Physical Organic Chemistry at St Petersburg University; Mayya Uspenskaya, Professor in the Laboratory of Biohybrid Technologies at St Petersburg University; and Olga Yakubovich, Professor in the Department of Geochemistry at St Petersburg University. The Science Lunch event focused on the development of edible coatings for fruits and vegetables received the most media feedback.
The histamine sensor developed under the supervision of Sergey Ermakov also garnered significant media attention. Olga Yakubovich’s method for determining the age of minerals based on helium concentration received the Russian President’s Prize for Young Scientists and attracted the interest of both Russian and international business partners.
Additionally, Alexey Tikhonov, Professor in the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at St Petersburg University, and Anton Nizhnikov, Head of the Department of Genetics and Biotechnology at St Petersburg University, were recognised for their productive collaboration with the popular science magazine St Petersburg University and the portal "St Petersburg University in action."
Winners in the special category "Scientific Photo" became: Associate Professor Andrey Giljov and Senior Research Associate Karina Karenina, both from the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at St Petersburg University. The researchers were recognised for high-quality photographs of flora and fauna, taken during expeditions. Oleg Vereshchagin, Associate Professor in the Department of Mineralogy at St Petersburg University, and Liudmila Gorelova, Associate Professor in the Department of Crystallography at St Petersburg University, were also recognised in this category for their science photography, which was widely used in the media.