Denis Stukal Appointed as Dean of HSE Faculty of Social Sciences

Denis Stukal joined HSE University 20 years ago. He completed his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes, then pursued further studies and teaching abroad. For the past four years, he has served as the Deputy Dean for Research at the FSS.

According to Nikita Anisimov, this has been a planned transition of leadership at the faculty. Denis Stukal was nominated as a candidate by Professor Andrei Melville, who had been holding both positions of Dean and Academic Supervisor at the FSS.

‘First of all, I would like to thank Professor Melville for his contributions to the development of the Faculty of Social Sciences,' said the Rector, then proposing that the Academic Council grant Professor Melville the title of Honoured Professor of HSE University. The decision was supported unanimously and met with applause. Professor Melville will continue to serve as the Academic Supervisor of the Faculty of Social Sciences and remain a member of the HSE Academic Council.

The Rector also introduced Denis Stukal, a graduate of the HSE Faculty of Applied Political Science, which was incorporated into the Faculty of Social Sciences in 2014.

'I began my first year at university convinced that I would study the history of Russian foreign policy, but by my fourth year, I had developed a fascination with statistics. Throughout my studies in the master's and doctoral programmes at HSE University, this fascination evolved into a professional interest,' the new Dean shared in an interview with HSE University Life.

In 2012, Denis Stukal defended his PhD dissertation at HSE University, after which he went abroad to study computational methods in social sciences. He earned a PhD in political science from New York University, where he also worked, and later taught data analysis in social sciences at the University of Sydney in Australia. His research primarily focuses on political communication in social media and the application of AI in this field.

According to Denis Stukal, Professor Melville has successfully established a faculty with a distinct identity and a strong scientific standing.

'We have several teams at the Faculty known for their exceptional research productivity. Interdisciplinary research on current issues in society is advancing, with the Laboratory for the Psychology of Social Inequality, the Politics & Psychology Research Laboratory, and others actively working. We offered the first bachelor's programme in computational social sciences in the world. Currently, our students can earn a degree in two fields: applied mathematics and computer science, as well as one in social sciences,' according to Denis Stukal.

The new Dean views it as his primary objective to maintain and strengthen the faculty's academic reputation both nationally and internationally. To achieve this, it is essential to conduct cutting-edge research, with results being both presented at the most prestigious scientific platforms and published in leading academic journals. The faculty will support these initiatives.

'In recent years, during discussions with our departmental teams, I have placed significant emphasis on our involvement in applied research and the commercialisation of intellectual property,' says the FSS Dean. 'We have already launched several tools to support this activity, such as the faculty programme designed to support applied research. However, there is still much work ahead: we need a breakthrough in this area and to engage key research teams of the faculty in applied research.'

The Faculty of Social Sciences is committed to maintaining high standards of education and respond to the evolving needs of the economy and labour market by continuously updating the content and format of its educational programmes and offering relevant CPD programmes.

'There is much work to be done, and the tasks are extensive, but we have a fantastic team that has already shown our potential to lead,' Denis Stukal concluded. 'Therefore, we will succeed!'

October 03

Officially