The Faculty of Mathematics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics was founded in 2008 jointly by the Higher School of Economics and the Independent University of Moscow. It offers Bachelor of Science program “Mathematics”, Master of Science program “Mathematics”, Master of Science program “Mathematics and Mathematical Physics”. The faculty also plays a key role in the HSE Graduate School of Mathematics. Since the creation of the FM, new faculty members were hired at the international market, and researchers from the USA, Japan, Canada, France, the UK, etc., joined the team. The Faculty of Mathematics has joint departments with distinguished research institutes of the Russian Academy of Science: Steklov Institute of Mathematics, Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Lebedev Physical Institute. Associated with the FM are three international research groups, the so-called laboratories: the Laboratory of Algebraic Geometry and its Applications, the Laboratory of Representation Theory and Mathematical Physics, and the Laboratory of Mirror Symmetry and Automorphic Forms. Jointly with Moscow Center for Pedagogical Mastership, the FM announced two new programs in 2017: one at the Bachelor and one at the Master level.
History
In 2007, HSE university central administration contacted the Independent University of Moscow with a suggestion to join HSE as one of the faculties. Although this suggestion in its initial form was rejected, the IUM decided to help establishing a new Faculty of Mathematics. In particular, several IUM professors were hired by HSE in 2008 and formed the initial composition of the faculty. All further hiring was conducted through open international competitions. In September 2008, FM invited the first Bachelor of Science Students. The idea behind HSE Faculty of Mathematics was to create the first mathematics department in the former USSR that would be internationally competitive in the following sense:
A hybrid strategy of instruction should be employed that combines Konstantinov's system and the best practices of leading Western mathematics departments.
A new faculty should inherit the main positive features of the IUM, which are the mixing studies and research, teaching of modern mathematics, high level of both professors and students, and lacking the weak ones, which are no right to provide state diplomas, and, most seriously, having a small number of possessors of the IUM degree.
In 2010, a Master of Science program in Mathematics and a PhD program in Mathematical Logic, algebra and number theory were started, with about 10 students at each level. All of the students accepted to the programs had graduated from universities different from the HSE. In 2011, it was decided to make the Mathematics MSc program an international one, with classes given in English, and to establish a new MSc program “Mathematical physics”, in Russian, headed by :de:Igor Moissejewitsch Kritschewer|Igor Krichever. In 2010, the HSE won a `:ru:Первый конкурс научных мегагрантов|mega-grant’ from the Russian ministry of science and education, and the research group “Laboratory of Algebraic geometry and its applications” was organized under the scientific guidance of Fedor Bogomolov. The laboratory maintains its academic activities, however, since 2015, it is funded entirely by the university. Three chairs had existed from the first day of the Faculty, but were disbanded in 2011, making the administrative structure single level rather than a two-level one. Meanwhile, in 2011, under an agreement with the Steklov Mathematical institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a joint department with the Steklov institute was established at the FM. In 2012, a similar agreement was achieved with the RAS Kharkevich Institute for information transmission problems, and, in 2014, with the Lebedev Physical Institute of RAS. In 2014, the International Laboratory of Representation Theory and Mathematical Physics was founded. The academic supervisor of the laboratory is Andrei Okounkov. The decision to open this research unit came as a result of a competition conducted by HSE and similar to the `mega-grant’ competition conducted by the RF government. In 2016, HSE won another `mega-grant’ for the creation of the International Laboratory of Mirror Symmetry and Automorphic Forms, under the academic supervision of :de:Ludmil Katzarkov. Since the creation of the FM and till April 2015, Sergei Lando served as the Dean of the Faculty. Since April 2015, the Dean of the FM is Vladlen Timorin.
Current state
There are over 70 Mathematics faculty members. If researchers from the three associated research units are counted in, then the size of the academic team is about 120 people. A significant number of these people work part-time. Fourteen of the faculty members/researchers affiliated with the FM have been invited speakers at the International Congress of Mathematicians, including 3 speakers at the last ICM :
Moscow Mathematical Journal, one of the most frequently cited Russian mathematical journals. In 2014, the Moscow Mathematical Journal had the highest SCImago Journal Rank among all Russian journals.
The International Advisory Board of the FM consists of prominent international mathematicians and the Dean of the Faculty. The main objectives of the Board include evaluating the academic performance of the Faculty as well as its educational and research policies. The initial composition of the Board included Andrei Okounkov, who accepted a Faculty affiliation in 2015 and therefore was replaced in the Board by Nikita Nekrasov. Also, the ab officio membership of the Dean lead to an automatic change in the Board composition as the Deans changed in 2015. Composed in 2012, the Board received the first report of the FM in 2012 and gave its evaluation in 2013. Overall, the evaluation was positive: However, some important critical remarks were made. Among them:
Graduate programs of the FM were still in their infancy, and needed improvements.
Following the recommendations of the Board, the FM moved to a new building, and postdoctoral hiring was introduced. The Faculty administration also claimed to have modified educational programs following the suggestions of the Board. However, some group of students complained in 2015 that the study plans still had serious deficiencies. In 2016, the FM filed the second report to the International Advisory Board.
Notable faculty members and associate faculty members
, one of the creators of the theory of hyperkahler manifolds. :de:Boris Lwowitsch Feigin|Boris Feigin, a well-known expert in representation theory. :de:Juli Sergejewitsch Iljaschenko|Yulij Ilyashenko, rector of the Independent University of Moscow, the author of the finiteness result for the number of limit cycles of a polynomial vector field in the plane. :de:Igor Moissejewitsch Kritschewer|Igor Krichever. Sergey Lando, one of the authors of the ELSV formula. Andrei Okounkov, 2006 Fields Medal recipient, honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Victor Vassiliev, creator of the theory of finite type invariants. Mikhail Verbitsky, prominent mathematician, widely known in Russia as a controversial critic and political activist.
Graduates
Most graduates continue their education at Master’s or PhD level. About a quarter of all graduates have been admitted to the PhD programs of foreign universities: Harvard University, Columbia University, MIT, University of Toronto, Yale University, Princeton University, ETH Zurich, etc. Those who opted for industrial employment, work in the areas of Finance, Insurance, Information Technology, and others,. HSE FM alumni are also employed in education, including mathematical high schools in Moscow.
