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Out of his love for geography, Alexander Demin decided to study logistics, and then out of his love for teaching, he chose not to move to Italy. In this interview with HSE Age-mates, he explained how HSE University shaped his personality, which students are more interesting to work with, and why empathy is important in a university environment.

Alexander Loktionov was born in Lyon, studied and works in Cambridge, and in 2022 launched a new Egyptology programme at the HSE Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies (IOCS). In this interview with the HSE University Age-mates project, he spoke about the Horus on the Crocodiles stele, the emblems and gilding of St. John’s College, the attitude of modern Egyptians towards the pyramids, and his hope of uniting Russian and Western Egyptological traditions.

In his youth, HSE University graduate Sergei Mikhaylov wanted to become a diplomat, but after earning a degree in history, he ended up working in computational linguistics. In this interview with Age-mates, he talks about working with pharmaceutical companies, John Austin’s speech act theory, and how one infinity can be greater than another.

Maxim Bogachev first heard about HSE University during a 9th-grade class on economics, but ultimately decided to study at the Faculty of Applied Political Science. In this interview with Age-mates, he explained what a civil religion is, why Trump’s victory came as a surprise to U.S. sociologists, and what he’ll do over the winter holiday.

HSE University Faculty of Mathematics graduate Sonya Pashchevskaya did not become a mathematician but went instead into the natural sciences. However, her university background comes in very handy when studying the bonobo great apes. In this interview with Age-mates, she talks about the advantages of tent life, the application of graph theory to primatology, and a female ape named Olga.

In her four years at HSE University, Anna Ivanova has gone from teaching freshman classes to conducting an original course on autobiographical memory. She devotes a great deal of time to teaching while also finishing her dissertation and seeing patients as a practicing psychologist. In this interview with HSE University Agemates, Ms. Ivanova spoke about gender studies, her first impressions of her department, and the benefits of general education courses.

Maria Stepanova’s work at the HSE University Art and Design School allows her to be part of a creative community and help students find their way in the industrial and product design industry. In her interview with HSE University’s Age-Mates, Maria talks about the cult Japanese studio Nendo, original carpets in the shape of a twelve-legged leopard, and her dream of opening student workshops at the Art and Design School.

Elena Kulakova studied mathematics and computational linguistics, worked in a bank, and now teaches algebra and geometry in the Letovo school for giften children. In this interview with Age-Mates, she spoke about her thesis on knot theory, bombshell discriminants, and why authority and money are powerless in mathematics.

Yury Achkasov decided to study economics because he loved mathematics in school and wanted to apply that discipline to the fullest extent possible. In this interview with Age-Mates, he spoke about his inspiring work at the Central Bank, the animal spirits of market traders, and what would convince him to stop going to the office altogether.

Four years ago, orientalist and Vietnamese philology expert Yulia Minina began teaching at HSE University’s newly-opened Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies. In this interview with Age-Mates, she spoke about an expedition to describe the language of the Gelao people that she joined as a second-year student, how Oriental studies determine a person’s perceptions, and why she is grateful to her new academic home.