Three Skoltech scientists join AI Alliance Russia’s Science Council

February 08, 2024

AI Alliance Russia has set up a Science Council comprising top Russian AI scientists who were selected from among research supervisors whose students had published their papers at the world’s major AI conferences. Other key selection criteria included involvement in educational activities and socially important AI science and technology initiatives.

Three Skoltech researchers were selected to sit on the council:

Alexander Gasnikov, a principal research scientist at the Skoltech Applied AI Center, the rector of Innopolis University, a professor at HSE, an internationally acclaimed mathematician and AI scientist, and an author of seven books, including Russia’s main monograph on mathematical modeling of traffic flows;

Ivan Oseledets, a professor at Skoltech and RAS, the director of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (AIRI), a winner of the Presidential Prize in Science and Innovation for Young Scientists, a contributor of the tensor trains section for the fourth edition of Gene H. Golub and Charles F. Van Loan’s classic on matrix analysis, and an author of the most cited publications on the topic;

Evgeny Burnaev, a Skoltech professor, the head of the Skoltech Applied AI Center, and a leading researcher at AIRI; focusing on research at the intersection of AI fundamentals, primarily generative models, and AI-driven engineering applications, he has developed algorithms dealing with real-life problems in hi-tech industries, such as aerospace, the physical world, and biomedicine.

Other members joining the council are Alexey Naumov, Alexey Shpilman, Anton Konushin, and Valentin Malykh. The council is chaired by Alexander Krainov, the director for AI Development at Yandex and a member of AI Alliance Russia’s Supervisory Board.

The council is expected to consolidate the research community’s positions on the AI agenda and to act as a focal point for developing recommendations for research support and advancement. The council will focus on projects and initiatives aiming to boost the development of AI research and education in Russia, as well as help build ties between academia and businesses, and promote international collaborations.

“Russia needs more world-class researchers in order to spur the development of AI technology. AI professionals can only be trained through joint efforts of the Alliance members, leading Russian technology companies that create and implement AI solutions, and the entire Russian research community. This is why we are creating the permanent Science Council at the Alliance, which will bring together top experts to help young researchers and to systematize AI research activities,” Alexander Vedyakhin, the first deputy chairman of the board at Sberbank, said.

AI Alliance Russia groups leading technology companies to encourage the development of AI in Russia and secure the leading positions in the global technology market both for Russia and the Alliance members, which include Yandex, Sber, Gazprom Neft, VK, Samolet, Uralchem, Rusagro, Sibur, Severstal, Russian Direct Investment Fund, and other organizations.