NSU Physical Education Faculty Student Receives International Recognition for Research on the Impact of AI on Learning

Fourth-year student Faculty of Physics of Novosibirsk State University (Phys. Fac. NSU) Md Mustakim Bin Alam became the first representative of a Russian university to be awarded the Highly Commended prize at The Global Undergraduate Awards 2026 — an award often called the Junior Nobel Prize for its level of selection and significance. The prize was awarded for an independent interdisciplinary study on how generative artificial intelligence affects students’ cognitive abilities.

The Global Undergraduate Awards is an international academic program that annually evaluates the best student research papers across 25 disciplines. Thousands of works from leading universities worldwide participate in the competition, including Harvard, Oxford, and the National University of Singapore. Md Mustakim Bin Alam’s paper titled “Algorithmic Learned Helplessness: How Generative AI Quietly Attenuates Undergraduate Cognitive Agency and a Framework for Friction-Preserving Pedagogy” was anonymously evaluated by an international expert jury and ranked in the top 10% of all papers in the “Education” category. The 2026 list of awardees includes winners from the University of Cambridge, Brown University, Nanyang Technological University, and other leading global universities.

Md Mustakim Bin Alam came to Novosibirsk from Bangladesh. He studies physics and works in one of the laboratories of the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but at the same time, he has always been interested in pedagogy and cognitive sciences. Since 2022, he has been a Global Ambassador and Academy Member of the HundrED Foundation (Finland), where he collaborates with an international community of more than 300 educators and experts evaluating innovations in education worldwide.

The idea for the study arose from a simple observation: generative AI fundamentally changes how students process information, yet academic discourse focuses on plagiarism and efficiency rather than deep cognitive effects. Guided by a physical approach to studying first principles and dynamic systems, he initiated an independent research project to formalize and evaluate how algorithmic tools alter the architecture of human learning.

— Applying for The Global Undergraduate Awards was a deliberate and well-considered academic goal. I wanted to test the rigor of my theoretical formulations and empirical findings on the most competitive international student platform. I wanted to prove that a student with a Russian scientific education is capable of creating groundbreaking research recognized at the international level in the field of cognitive educational technologies., — said Md Mustakim Bin Alam.

The study introduces the concept of “Algorithmic Learned Helplessness” (ALH) — a cognitive conditioning that occurs when students consistently use AI as an instant source of answers rather than as an intellectual tool. Adapting Martin Seligman’s psychological concept of learned helplessness and Robert Bjork’s theory of “desirable difficulties,” the study argues that real learning requires mental discomfort — working with conflicting data, overcoming uncertainty, and actively problem-solving.

Modern generative AI produces stylistically flawless answers in seconds, completely eliminating this effort. An “illusion of competence” arises, but the behavioral link between the student’s internal efforts and solving the task is broken. Over time, students’ tolerance for frustration sharply decreases and their ability for independent inquiry atrophies.

In response to this, the paper proposes the concept of “Friction-Preserving Pedagogy” (FPP) — an approach that transforms AI from an instant-answer machine into a Socratic cognitive mentor. Instead of providing ready-made solutions, the system deliberately preserves productive struggle: it withholds direct answers, provides measured hints, and requires the student to take the final intellectual step themselves.

In an experimental study with 45 students, those who used AI without restrictions showed a drop in long-term retention of material to 51.8% after 48 hours. Among students who used a model preserving mental effort, this figure was 77.5% — proving that structured complexity is necessary for genuine knowledge acquisition.

For Md Mustakim Bin Alam, there is no strict boundary between physics and pedagogy. Physics provides the mathematical apparatus for rigorous modeling of human-computer interaction. In his work, he formalized algorithmic learned helplessness not merely as a qualitative theory but as a mathematical utility optimization problem under cognitive load.

— By considering the student as an optimizing agent balancing immediate rewards and the rate of forgetting, we were able to mathematically prove how a low mental effort environment triggers a catastrophic shift to complete dependency on AI. My training in plasma physics — analysis of nonlinear dynamics, equilibrium thresholds, and interaction of complex systems — directly influenced how I modeled cognitive offloading and conducted statistical control in our randomized study., — he explained.

The work also received recognition from other researchers. Mika Meiner from the University of Louisiana in her study on educational friction noted that “maintaining productive cognitive struggle” is necessary for genuine understanding—a conclusion resonant with the research of Md Mustakim Bin Alam. Several experts in educational technology called the work “an important starting point” for operationalizing productive struggle in education using AI.

Born and raised in Bangladesh, Md Mostakim Bin Alam chose Novosibirsk State University for its rigorous scientific traditions. NSU’s Faculty of Physics, with its emphasis on first-principles thinking and analytical discipline, provided him with the environment he was seeking. However, the research was entirely independent. He did not share it with his scientific advisor during the work, not being confident that his interdisciplinary work would be able to stand out at a high global level.

— Now that the results have been published, the opportunity to share them at NSU makes the entire journey even more meaningful, — he said.

His academic achievements go far beyond this award. In 2021, he won the Bronze Honour at the International Youth Math Challenge. In 2022, he was the national winner of Russia and received the Silver Honour at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition, and in 2024 he repeated this success by winning the Silver Honour at the same competition. In 2024, he also earned the Second Degree Diploma (Silver Honour) at the Siberian Mathematical Olympiad and became a prize winner at the All-Russian “I am a Professional” Olympiad in the field of “Laser Plasma and Radiation Technologies” for the 2024/2025 season. In 2024 and 2025, he again became the national winner of Russia in the International Youth Math Challenge, receiving silver and bronze honours respectively, and in 2025 he also became the national winner of Russia and received the Silver Honour at the International Physics Competition. He is the founder of the Aurora Science Society and holds the status of Microsoft Certified Innovative Educator.Earlier this year, he also submitted an article on the architecture of exoplanets to the Authorea platform, demonstrating the breadth of his research interests in physics.

As far as he knows, this is the first time a student representing a Russian academic institution has received such recognition in the history of The Global Undergraduate Awards.

— Being the first student representing a Russian university to receive this international recognition is a tremendous honor. It is proof that rigorous, forward-looking research in new technologies and cognitive sciences can thrive at Novosibirsk State University. The fact that a foreign student from Bangladesh, who has succeeded in the Russian scientific community, has crossed this milestone demonstrates that intellectual curiosity knows no national or disciplinary boundaries, — he emphasized.

After completing his bachelor’s degree, Md Mustakim Bin Alam plans to continue his academic education with a master’s degree in physics at Novosibirsk State University. Fundamental physics remains his main discipline, providing the analytical foundation for approaching complex systems. At the same time, he intends to continue independent research in artificial intelligence and educational psychology concurrently. He plans to expand the empirical validation of the Friction-Preserving Pedagogy concept and to continue demonstrating that fundamental physics and cognitive educational technologies can mutually enrich each other.

When asked what advice he would give to students who fear that AI will replace their profession, he replied:

— AI will not replace thinkers who understand the deep structure of problems; it will replace those who have abandoned their ability to fight. When you face an intellectual difficulty, do not immediately copy it into a chatbot to avoid discomfort. This frustration is an exact biological signal that learning is taking place. Treat AI as a demanding interlocutor, not as a vending machine of answers. If you preserve the ability for deep synthesis, critical skepticism, and cognitive perseverance, you will always remain irreplaceable.

Md Mustakim Bin Alam also encourages students of all specialties to consider participating in international competitions. The Global Undergraduate Awards accepts submissions from graduating and penultimate-year students, as well as recent graduates. Participation is free.