Research
In medical diagnostics, a correct reading often depends on the ability to detect specific marker cells within a biosample. This process involves sorting cells by shape, an activity that has been made easier (and cheaper) through the recent findings of a team at ITMO’s Faculty of Physics. With the help of lateral recoil force, they’ve devised a set of “acoustic tweezers” that can efficiently extract the relevant cell types.
Read more: ITMO Researchers Discover New Acoustic Force for More Accurate Shape-Based Sorting of Cells
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In 2025, your average scientist is no longer an eccentric, asocial Doc Brown type, but rather a Feynman-esque individual who can be both intelligent and fun at once. This is the principle by which Alexey Kokhanovskiy, an optical neuromorphic computing researcher at ITMO, adheres in his work as a scientist. We recently chatted with him about working on “artificial brains,” combining physics with AI, and the scientist’s role in the modern age.
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ITMO Fellow Alena Kulakova is a chemist working among physicists. With a double PhD from Russia and France, she’s a formidable scientific mind – and one whose academic path has been full of twists and turns. ITMO.NEWS spoke to Dr. Kulakova about her work on metal-organic frameworks, AI in academia, and learning to find joy in errors.
Read more: ITMO Fellow Alena Kulakova on Merging Chemistry and Physics
Education
Admissions at ITMO. Photo by Dmitry Grigoryev / ITMO.NEWS
September seems like it wasn’t that long ago, yet we’re already halfway through the academic year – and the next one is already around the corner! Or, at least, the admissions period that precedes it. If you’re thinking of applying to St. Petersburg’s top university for Bachelor’s students, now is the time! We’ve already prepared a comprehensive guide to all the frequent questions: from picking a program and choosing your specialization to entrance competitions and tuition fees.
Read more: How to Apply to ITMO’s Bachelor’s Programs in 2025
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Not ready for a four-year commitment – or simply looking for a short course to get you started in a new field? In that case, consider ITMO’s wide range of winter schools for engineers, roboticists, physicists, chemists, and more.
Read more: Don’t Wait for Summer: Secure Your Place at ITMO Now With Winter Schools
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And for those who are already halfway up the academic ladder, ITMO’s PhD programs await. In 2025, prospective PhD students can choose from a whopping 54 specializations including mathematics, biology, computer science, and much, much more. We’ve spoken to some of the university’s current postgrad students to hear about their motivations, research, and experience at ITMO.
Read more: Freedom, Science, and Creativity: Why Pursue PhD at ITMO University