Published on: 2026-07-10
Source: Novosibirsk State University –
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A lecturer at Novosibirsk State University and a graduate of the NSU Faculty of Economics became laureates of the competition for the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) medals with awards for young scientists and students. An associate professor at the Department of Application of Mathematical Methods in Economics and Planning of the Faculty of Economics (FE) of NSU Olga Tarasova awarded the RAS medal for a series of scientific works, and a graduate of the EF bachelor’s program in 2025 Dinara Fakhretdinova was awarded for research on the transport corridors of the “One Belt, One Road” project.
The Medal of the Russian Academy of Sciences with prizes for young scientists and students is awarded for outstanding scientific research that makes a significant contribution to the development of domestic science.
Olga Tarasova submitted a series of works titled “Opportunities and Limitations of Infrastructure Development in the Russian Federation” to the competition. The research focused on evaluating major infrastructure projects in Russia, including the development of the Eastern railway hub, the Northern Sea Route, as well as analyzing mechanisms of state support for infrastructure development and the role of the public sector in regional development.
— Infrastructure is the circulatory system of the economy. It is the connectivity of territories that enables the development of cooperative ties, the exploration of territories, and the improvement of the population’s quality of life. In today’s turbulent conditions, our calculations help justify development priorities and understand which projects can provide the most significant effects for the regions., — she told Olga Tarasova.
Work on the research cycle lasted several years. The main part of the work was carried out from 2020 to 2025, and the first studies in the field of transport corridors began as early as 2017–2020.
The research relied on a wide range of economic-mathematical models, which are a distinctive feature of the Novosibirsk scientific school.
— Most of the work involved data collection, model calibration, scenario development, and interpretation of results. The most interesting part begins when the calculations provide unexpected answers and allow a new perspective on existing problems., — noted Olga Tarasova.
According to the scientist, an important component of successful work on the topic was teamwork, interaction with colleagues from different regions, as well as active work with students.
— I work a lot with students — we tackle unusual topics together, carry out complex calculations, and seek new research approaches. I am glad that my efforts in this area have yielded results — among them, Dinara Fakhretdinova prepared her winning graduation thesis under my scientific supervision, — emphasized Olga Tarasova.
For the NSU teacher, the RAS medal became an important stage of professional development, motivating to actively continue working.
— This is enormous support and a warm sign of recognition within the professional community. Such appreciation shows that the researcher is moving in the right direction and that their ideas have value. It is also an incentive to continue working and to approach new scientific challenges more boldly., — shared Olga Tarasova.
In the future, the researcher plans to develop models for forecasting infrastructure development, expand the analysis of the interconnections between transport, energy, and digital infrastructure, and also work on implementing scientific results into real software-strategic documents of the Russian Federation.
NSU graduate Dinara Fakhretdinova received the RAS medal with prizes for students of higher educational institutions of Russia for the study of transport corridors. The RAS award was given to Dinara Fakhretdinova for research on the topic “Assessment of pro-Russian transport routes of the Belt and Road Initiative project,” carried out as part of her bachelor’s graduation qualification work at the Economics Faculty of NSU.
The study is dedicated to the analysis of transport connections between Russia and China within one of the largest international infrastructure initiatives.
According to Dinara, her interest in the topic emerged back in her third year of study, when she began exploring the interaction between Russia and China while writing a term paper. This direction later became the foundation of her thesis research.
— The research topic was suggested to me by my academic supervisor. Gradually, it developed into a full-fledged graduation project and a direction for further research as a junior research associate at the Institute of Economics and Organization of Industrial Production, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences., — Dinara Fakhretdinova said.
One of the most challenging stages of the work was finding data to fill the model and conducting model calculations.
— The most difficult part was collecting the necessary data and performing calculations in a system that crashed several times. Sometimes I had to start the work over again, — noted the graduate.
The news of the award came as a surprise to Dinara.
— This is a very joyful and important event for me. Such achievements show that I am moving in the right and in-demand direction in my research., — she shared.
Dinara is currently continuing her scientific work and preparing articles for publication.
Congratulations to Olga Tarasova and Dinara Fakhretdinova on their well-deserved awards and we wish them further scientific success!
Material prepared by: Yulia Dankova, NSU press service
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