Tag "ideas & experience"

Fan Minlan, a 25-year-old from the coastal city of Zhangzhou in southeastern China, has recently graduated from the HSE Master’s Programme in Population and Development. In her interview with the HSE News Service, Fan Minlan speaks about her decision to enrol at HSE University, the challenges of speaking Russian, her career plans, and the love story that started with her studies.

HSE University–St Petersburg is proud of its graduates. Our alumni pursue careers in a wide variety of fields—from academia and public policy to creative industries and international development. Each story is unique, filled with ambition, perseverance, and meaningful change. Today, we are excited to share the story of Giovanny Simon Machado—a graduate of the Master’s programme 'Applied and Interdisciplinary History "Usable Pasts"'. Now, he is a professor at the Department of Social Work at the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil. This May, Prof. Machado came back to Russia as a participant of the HSE University–St Petersburg International Partners’ Week 2025. 

After earning a degree from the Moscow Banking School, Ekaterina Dvoryantseva planned to pursue further studies in the field, towards a career in banking. However, her plans were derailed by the 1998 financial crisis. After working in several roles unrelated to aviation, she joined Aeroflot and quickly advanced to become manager of innovation. In this interview with Success Builder, she discusses how the company implements and integrates innovation, why you might run a polygraph test on a dog, and how to reclaim one's youth (spoiler: enrol in a master's programme at HSE University).

Amal Saidov is a 2022 graduate of the Bachelor's programme 'Economics'. During his studies, Amal made the most of the opportunities available at HSE University: he participated in an academic mobility programme, spent a year in Spain, got transferred to a state-funded place, and participated in case championships and educational schools. This experience helped him to start a career in the Big Four, work in several countries, and continue his career path at B1 as a senior consultant in the Business Tax Advisory department.

Each year, hundreds of students from all over the world decide to pursue knowledge at HSE University- St Petersburg. This journey is filled with excitement, hopes, and discoveries: from choosing a programme, submitting documents, attending interviews, and passing entrance exams to receiving that coveted acceptance letter and finally arriving in Russia.

Md Naoshad Jaman Chowdhury, 31, from Dhaka, Bangladesh, obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance and an MBA (International Business) from Dhaka University and graduated from the Master’s Programme in Management and Analytics for Business of HSE University in St Petersburg. Now he works as an HR Analyst at Brain Station 23 PLC, a prominent software company in Bangladesh. Naoshad Jaman talked to the HSE News Service about his career path, the skills he acquired during his studies at HSE University, the challenges he faced while learning Russian, and his plans to become an academic—complete with a big cup of coffee and professor jokes.

Maryann Asemota, from Nigeria, graduate of the Master’s in Science, Technology, and Innovation Management, now works as researcher at the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK). In an interview with the HSE News Service, she shared her experience of working at HSE University, her future plans, and gave some advice on pursuing a career in academia.

Nikolay Bogdanov, 28, from Sofia, Bulgaria, graduated from the Psychology programme of the HSE Faculty of Social Sciences in 2022. Currently, he is based in the Netherlands, where he pursues a master's degree in behavioural sciences at Radboud University and works as a life coach. In an interview with the HSE News Service, Nikolay shares his experience at HSE University, his professional challenges and achievements, as well as the importance of teamwork, persistent curiosity, and self-improvement.

Bhaskar Kayathwal, 26, from India, completed his programme in Master of International Business at HSE University in 2021. Currently, he is responsible for business development at an influencer marketing company. In an interview with the HSE News Service, Bhaskar shares his experience at HSE University, the importance of seizing unexpected opportunities, and the parallels between business development and chess.

Petr Garmider, 27, from Uzbekistan, received his master’s degree from HSE University in 2022. Today, he works at one of Russia’s most popular music streaming services, where he develops algorithms that recommend music tracks for users. In his interview with the HSE News Service, Petr shares his experiences as a graduate student and early-career data scientist.