21 May 2026 ITMO University

PhD in Physics: ITMO Researcher Vasily Kravtsov Talks Projects and Opportunities for Young Scientists

Develop an ultrathin element for screens that is 1,600 times brighter than its counterparts or discover a way to control light 1,000 times faster to accelerate AI computations on ultra-fast optical chips? Done and done – by ITMO researchers and PhD students working at the intersection of optics and 2D materials. In this article, we ask Vasily Kravtsov, a senior researcher and head of one of the labs at ITMO’s Faculty of Physics, about the research done at the faculty and the opportunities its PhD programs offer.

21 May 2026 ITMO University

Student Spotlight: Arnab Bose, India

When Arnab arrived in St. Petersburg from Kolkata, almost everything felt unfamiliar: the language, the weather, the routines, even the smallest daily tasks. But over time, what once felt overwhelming slowly turned into something exciting. Now studying in ITMO’s Foundation Program and preparing for a future in physics research, Arnab has found both academic inspiration and a sense of belonging in the city.

20 May 2026 ITMO University

Russia Launches Competence Center to Improve Data Centers

At the conference Digitalization of Industrial Russia, Rusnano (T-Nano), ITMO University, and United Heavy Machinery have signed a tripartite agreement aimed at advancing optoelectronic devices and photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The technologies will set the ground for a new generation of eco-friendly and high-performance data centers and consequently ensure a higher quality of data storage, processing, and transmission.

20 May 2026 ITMO University

This Week in St. Petersburg: May 21-27, 2026

We’ve got ourselves one heck of a weekend ahead with quite a few fresh displays and bustling festivals of all kinds – music, books, flowers, and even ice cream.

19 May 2026 ITMO University

How to Sleep Through a White Night

We are fast approaching the famous St. Petersburg white nights: from late May till mid-July, it never gets fully dark in the city; nights become more of a twilight than darkness. Though this is a wonderful time for many, it can be a little challenging to sleep well on a white night. Today, we are looking at some tips that can help.

18 May 2026 ITMO University

ITMO’s Monday Science Roundup #104

As always, nothing stands still at ITMO. While some researchers make strides in medical technology, others develop next-gen software. And that’s not to mention the artistic and academic achievements of graduates and current students! All this and more – in our bi-weekly summary of science news from ITMO University.

18 May 2026 ITMO University

From Parsers to Visuals: ITMO and Sberbank Translate IT Infrastructure into Art

Sberbank’s R&D Center and ITMO’s Art & Science Center have launched Shaping Reality: From Data to Image – an art project that turns background IT processes into artistic expressions. The exhibition opened at Sberbank’s coworking space on ITMO's Grivtsova campus.

15 May 2026 ITMO University

Grand Experiences: 4 Arenas of St. Petersburg

Would you like to cheer for a local hockey or football team in real time? Or become part of the crowd at a massive concert? St. Petersburg’s biggest arenas offer both while introducing you to different eras and styles of sports architecture.

15 May 2026 ITMO University

Russian Scientists Develop Dual-Action Approach for Liver Failure Treatment and Regeneration

Scientists from Privolzhsky Research Medical University and ITMO University have devised an efficient therapeutic approach based on nanoparticles and loaded MicroRNA-200a for treating acute and chronic liver pathologies. In rats, the method proved to successfully prevent liver damage and significantly reduce the amount of collagen in its tissues, qualitatively improving its condition. The results of the Russian Science Foundation-supported study have been published in Biomaterials.

14 May 2026 ITMO University

ITMO Researchers Develop First Drug Delivery System for Selective Melanoma Treatment

Scientists from ITMO University and Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University have developed a polymer-based delivery system for therapeutic agents and demonstrated its efficiency against cancer cells and non-toxicity to healthy cells, i.e. keratinocytes. The researchers opted for curcumin and usnic acid as therapeutic agents and loaded this mixture into a polymer hyaluronic acid-based matrix. The developed system may be used for regional chemotherapy or as a post-surgery wound bandage. The findings of the study are published in Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark.

22 Apr 2026 ITMO University

Russia Proposes First Competence Model for Physical AI Specialists

In collaboration with ITMO, HSE, MAI, MEPhI, and MIPT, Yandex has launched Russia’s first competence model for specialists in physical AI – a comprehensive roadmap that outlines the essential knowledge and skills that specialists need to produce robots and other AI-assisted autonomous vehicles. The developed model became the basis for Yandex Physical AI Garage – a collaborative program by Yandex and its partner universities. At ITMO, the program will be implemented as a separate track within the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Bachelor’s program.

23 Apr 2026 ITMO University

Russian Scientists Propose More Accurate Update Method for Recommendation Systems, No Retraining Needed

Researchers at AI VK and ITMO’s Laboratory for Multiagent Modeling and Adaptive Intelligence have proposed a more precise way to update recommendation algorithms that will help reduce the computational costs of updating ML models while preserving backward compatibility.

24 Apr 2026 ITMO University

Educational Forum It’s Your Call! Brings Students From 20 Russian Regions to ITMO

ITMO University has recently hosted It’s Your Call! – an educational forum held annually in St. Petersburg for the finalists of the I Am a Professional contest. At the event, participants get to attend expert-led lectures, work on industrial cases, and tour major tech companies; the most successful ones win the chance to enroll in the country’s best universities, including ITMO, without exams. Discover what other opportunities the event opens up in the article.

23 Apr 2026 ITMO University

ITMO and Alfa-Bank Evaluate Results of Course on Product Approach in Education

60 program leaders from 49 Russian universities have completed a joint course by ITMO University and Alfa-Bank on the product approach in education.

28 Apr 2026 ITMO University

ITMO Receives League of Universities Award for Implementing Digital Tools in Education

Recently, ITMO University was once again named a laureate of the League of Universities Award by Gazprom Neft. This year, the university was noted for implementation of digital technologies aimed to improve the quality of education in natural sciences. Among the tools used are AI platforms, digital laboratories, and simulation environments for conducting experiments and working with equipment.

29 Apr 2026 ITMO University

How To Become a PhD Intern and Get Into ITMO

Applicants who have already settled on a supervisor and a thesis topic have higher chances of being admitted into a PhD program on a tuition-free basis. But how can a Master’s student get experience in research and meet these requirements? One way is by becoming a PhD intern at ITMO. Before their enrollment, interns get to work on different projects by the university’s partners or the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and thus not only start their academic career but also secure additional points when applying to a PhD program. Want to know how to do that? Here’s your step-by-step guide, plus firsthand insights from one of the initiative’s participants.

30 Apr 2026 ITMO University

49 ITMO Projects Supported by Russian Science Foundation in 2025

Recently, the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has published its 2025 report, which placed ITMO sixth in Russia and second in St. Petersburg by the amount of grants received for fundamental and applied research. Moreover, one of the projects developed at ITMO made it to the list of top 10 RSF-supported projects of 2025.

05 May 2026 ITMO University

ITMO-Developed Analytics System Improves Search Systems and AI Assistants

ITMO University researchers have released DocuMentor, a data processing library that can help analyze and extract the hierarchical structure of documents. Based on a vision-language model (VLM) for optical character recognition, the library identifies the location of elements in a PDF file with a 98% accuracy. The new tool can make documents machine-readable for subsequent integration into efficient corporate search systems and AI assistants. The Russian Ministry of Construction, Housing and Utilities will be using the tool to create a regulations database.

04 May 2026 ITMO University

Communication Systems Developers: Who Are They and What Skills Do They Need?

Space tech is developed by 70 countries, with Russia remaining one of the key players on the market. According to the Center for Strategic Research, this sector of Russian economy may reach 1 trillion rubles by 2030. The communications market grows alongside the space industry. In 2024 alone, the satellite communications sector in Russia grew by 5% reaching 171.2 thousand VSAT stations. The demand for professionals capable of developing and analyzing modern wireless data transfer systems is growing accordingly. Recently, the skills necessary for such specialists were discussed at ITMO by experts from the aerospace company BURO 1440 (part of ICS Holding). The company recently launched the first 16 satellites of its target low-Earth orbit constellation for a global coverage connectivity service.

07 May 2026 ITMO University

PhD in Foodtech: ITMO Researcher Denis Baranenko Talks Promising Projects and Opportunities for PhD Students

Doing a PhD at ITMO’s Faculty of Biotechnologies means conducting research, developing new products that’ll be seen on supermarket shelves, or winning an annual 2.5 million-ruble grant for your own foodtech project. In this article, we discuss these and other opportunities for PhD students in biotechnologies with Denis Baranenko, one of the PhD supervisors at the faculty.