Six Wins, Six Futures: BelSU Scientists Secure Major National Funding

Young researchers from Belgorod National Research University (BelSU) have secured prestigious grants from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) for projects that span fundamental physics, advanced materials, and social science.

BelSU Rector Evgeniya Karlovskaya congratulated the winners, noting that the supported projects demonstrate young scientists’ readiness to tackle complex research tasks and propose solutions to current societal and economic needs.

Two projects won grants under the Research Groups Led by Young Scientists competition, which provides up to six million roubles annually for three years. Andrey Oleynik, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Advanced Radiation Research and Technology, will study charge induction, emission, and electron acceleration during the pyroelectric effect – fundamental physics with potential technological applications. Elizaveta Voropaeva, from the Laboratory of Bulk Nanostructured Materials, will develop a heat-resistant Fe-Ni-Cr-Al-Nb-C steel system for modern power plants.

Four researchers won Initiative Research by Young Scientists grants, each receiving up to 1.5 million roubles annually until mid-2028. Zhanna Blagorozheva, Associate Professor of Sociology and Youth Work, will study risks in young people's matrimonial life projects, bridging sociology and demography. Anna Bodyakova, a Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Mechanical Properties of Nanostructured and Heat-Resistant Materials, will focus on creating a copper alloy for high-speed rail overhead wires, a project directly relevant to developing domestic transport infrastructure. Her colleague Aleksandr Kalinenko will investigate friction stir welds in heat-engineering steel, examining how structural and phase states influence thermal stability and mechanical properties under various loads. Yulia Tkacheva, a Junior Research Fellow at the same laboratory, will explore deformation mechanisms and unstable plastic flow in third-generation high-strength automotive steels with retained austenite, work that is in high demand from the automotive industry.