On 7 September 2023, graduate students of the Department of Nuclear Physics Materials Science of the Institute of Physics of Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University (KFU) successfully defended their final qualifying papers. This is one of the JINR-based departments in Russian universities, founded in 2017. The first two graduates of the postgraduate studies of the department, Olga Lis and Bulat Bakirov, have already been hired as junior researchers in the DN-12 Group of the Diffractometry Sector of the Laboratory of Neutron Physics at JINR. The main scientific directions of the group are the study of structural and magnetic properties of materials in extreme conditions and the study of features of internal structure of cultural and natural heritage objects, structural materials and industrial products.

Olga Lis presented her final qualifying work “Study of the crystal and magnetic structure and vibrational spectra of layered quasi-two-dimensional magnetic materials under temperature and pressure changes”, carried out in FLNP JINR and supervised by a Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Denis Kozlenko. The work is devoted to the study of the crystal, magnetic structure and vibrational spectra of CrBr₃ и Fe₃GeTe₂ compounds using neutron, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy methods. The report focused on new phenomena observed under the influence of high pressure and low temperatures, and the structural mechanisms of their formation.

“Modern algorithms for the analysis of neutron radiographic images and reconstruction of three-dimensional data on the example of cultural heritage objects” is the topic of the final qualifying work, which Bulat Bakirov defended. One of the important areas of work carried out in FLNP under the guidance of a Doctor of Engineering Sergey Kichanov was the development of promising algorithms for tomographic reconstruction from incomplete experimental data using convolutional neural networks. The innovative approach will significantly reduce the time of experiments, among other things.

“Our students show the highest results both in mastering the curriculum and carrying out research work. So, last year, all three master’s student, namely Polina Sushkova, Bulat Khamidullin, and Bekarys Yerzhanov graduated with honours. At the defence, the commission recognised Polina’s final qualifying work “Studies of parameters of silicon photomultipliers with surface and deep pixels” as the best one among other final qualifying papers,” an Associate Professor of the Department of Nuclear Physics Materials Science of the Institute of Physics of KFU, an FLNP JINR senior researcher, a Candidate of Physics and Mathematics Yulia Gorshkova said. Now they are second-year postgraduates of the department and continue their scientific work under the guidance of a chief researcher, a Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Anatoly Balagurov in FLNP (Bekarys Yerzhanov), a senior researcher, a Candidate of Physics and Mathematics Vratislav Chudoba in FLNR (Bulat Khamidullin), Head of the Department of Scientific and Methodological Research and Innovation, a Doctor of Technical Sciences Sergey Tyutyunnikov in VBLHEP (Polina Sushkova). In the 2023 – 2024 academic year, the department will graduate four students pursuing a master’s degree in “Physics of Advanced Materials” and carrying out their work in FLNP, VBLHEP, and DLNP at JINR. In addition, Sergey Kurakin (FLNP Deputy Director, a Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Norbert Kucerka is his scientific supervisor) will finish postgraduate studies next year. This year, Evgeny Mityushkin has been enroled in the first year of the Department of Nuclear Physics Materials Science. The topic of his scientific work in FLNP will be the study of proton-conducting materials for hydrogen energy sources by small-angle X-ray scattering as part of the project “Research on physical and chemical properties and structure of new proton-conducting materials” between JINR and the Centre for Hydrogen Energy.

Head of the Department of Nuclear Physics Materials Science, Head of the FLNP JINR Department of Neutron Research and Development in Condensed Matter, a RAS Corresponding Member Alexander Belushkin is paying special attention to the educational process of students. The curriculum is approved at the annual meeting of the department with the participation of the Director of the Institute of Physics and the Directorate of UC JINR. Leading JINR staff members are delivering a number of lectures to students. This year, new disciplines have been added to the traditional ones for second-year master’s degree students. Deputy Head for Scientific Work of the FLNR Nanocentre (Scientific and Administrative Division, Centre of Applied Nuclear Physics, FLNR), a Candidate of Chemical Sciences Alexander Nechaev will give lectures on the subject “Modern methods of synthesis and research of nanostructures”. An FLNP researcher, a Candidate of Physics and Mathematics Vladimir Zhaketov will deliver a lecture series “Low-dimensional systems and heterostructures”. In addition, a course “Fundamentals of Python Programming” has been organized for students, which will be taught by an FLNP senior engineer Lyubov Truntova.

“All our students and postgraduates actively participate in Russian and international conferences. They are winners of different youth competitions and authors of projects funded by the Russian Science Foundation and other foundations,” Yulia Gorshkova noted.

The JINR-based department at Kazan Federal University had been established in 2017 and granted diplomas to first master’s students two years later. Four graduates of the master’s programme of the department are currently working as research trainees at FLNP, VBLHEP, and FLNR at JINR. Two graduates of the department who finished postgraduate studies this year have been hired at the Joint Institute as junior researchers.