Postdocs are young researchers with a degree of PhD (Candidate of Science) and high scientific productivity. This position, which came into Russia from the West, allows scientists to continue their research careers in a new academic environment, and thereby try other scientific approaches, expand the geography of personal and professional contacts.
The list of documents required to participate in the competition included a curriculum vitae, a research proposal, and letters of recommendation. It also required scientific and teaching experience and publications in leading scientific journals. The applications that met the requirements and received the approval of the leaders of the research groups went through the procedure of independent international evaluation by leading experts in the relevant fields of mathematics. As a results of the competition, eight out of thirty-five applications were selected: three from India and one each from China, Zimbabwe, Great Britain, Argentina and Kazakhstan.
The academic environment is a fairly stable ground with well-established habits and research methods; and postdocs come and, in a good sense, shake this frozen neigbourhood, give it a new impetus due to their otherness, different academic culture, different perspective, a view from the outside at our usual and someone else鈥檚 unusual methods of conducting scientific research. Postdocs force research groups to shift the focus of attention to the outside world. And this is very important for enhancing our own scientific culture, for integrating our research into international science.
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The Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok annually supports about ten research groups in the field of mathematics and related sciences with top experts in the area as their leaders. The work of each of the research teams is devoted to study in one of the most promising areas of mathematics. This year, research at the MCA is combined into the following programs: "Physical and mathematical modeling of technological processes", "Classification problems in mathematics and theoretical computer science", "Mathematical foundations of physics". And now, the team of each of the existing research groups has been replenished with one postdoc, whose work will begin in January 2022.
I chose Novosibirsk because the world-class Mathematical Center is located here. This will give me the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from other famous mathematicians. The research I will be working on is in the field of non-associative algebras called axial algebras. I will explore these algebras both in themselves, and in their relationship to group theory. This work can also potentially be useful in physics. I look forward to growing personally and professionally from the collaboration with the Mathematical Center as well as broadening my research horizon. I hope to learn a lot here.
