International Competition
‘Open Doors: Russian Scholarship Project’

If you want to get a high–quality higher education, Open Doors Olympiad is your chance for an early admission to a tuition-free study program at one of the leading universities in Russia

Research Specialties of Postgraduate Programs

1.5.14 – Entomology

Research Projects of the Potential Supervisor:

• Little-studied and taxonomically complex groups of mites as a bioindication component of soil biota for assessing climate change;
• Myrmecophilous Acariform mites (Acariformes) of the southern part of Western Siberia;
• Symbiotic mites associated with bark beetles of the major coniferous forest-forming species in Western Siberia.

Suggested Topics for Doctoral Research:

• Taxonomic diversity of oribatid mites inhabiting the tree canopy at the boundary between the cerrado and selva biomes of the Brazilian Amazon;
• Mites inhabiting aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats in the Ciénaga de Zapata region (Cuba).

Programme Highlights:

The programme promotes international research collaboration in the field of soil and freshwater biodiversity studies, implemented jointly with partners in Latin American countries within the framework of Intergovernmental Commissions involving the Russian Federation.

Distinctive Features of the Programme:

• Proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese is highly desirable;
• Readiness to conduct field research involving mite collection in remote tropical regions endemic to various tropical fevers.

Supervisor's Requirements:

• Fieldwork at designated biological research stations;
• Alpine climbing equipment is required for work in the canopy of tropical forests.

BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Evgeny Viktorovich Burlakov, PhD (Norwegian University of Life Sciences)
English proficiency level: C1–C2

Research Specialties of Postgraduate Programs:

1.5.8. Mathematical Biology and Bioinformatics
1.2.2. Mathematical Modelling, Numerical Methods, and Software Systems

Research Projects

• Mathematical modelling of wave-like electrical activity in the cerebral cortex

• Control problems in evolutionary systems

Proposed Research Topics

• Boundary value problems in the study of periodic traveling waves of cortical electrical potentials

• Impulse control problems and their applications in the organization of economically significant biosystems

• Application of “tau-Volterra” operators for the approximate reconstruction of dynamics in living systems described by functional–differential equations

• Modified Galerkin method for constructing solutions to population models under impulsive effects

• Applications of covering mappings in the analysis of equilibrium states in living systems described by differential models

• Development of optimal rotational grazing schemes for winter pastures in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug using population models and mathematical control theory

• Reconstruction of evoked cortical dynamics in the primary visual cortex using two-layer neural field models

Research Interests

Theory of functional–differential equations and inclusions; control problems; mathematical theory of evolutionary systems; impulsive and implicit differential systems; use of nonlinear and multivalued analysis in the validation of mathematical models; and applications of these methods (combined with approximate numerical approaches) to the study of living systems.

Program Highlights

• Collaboration with leading academic institutions in Russia and international research groups (Norway, Denmark, Canada)

• Integration of theoretical modelling with experimental data obtained using unique research infrastructure, including the only 302-channel magnetoencephalograph in the Russian Federation

Requirements for Potential Students

• Programming proficiency (e.g., Python, MATLAB) sufficient to solve nonlinear differential equation systems with defined precision

• Basic knowledge of dynamical systems theory

• Foundational understanding of systems theory and/or systems biology

Publications

Total publications indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and RSCI (past 5 years): 22

• I. Malkov, E. Burlakov, V. Verkhlyutov, V. Ushakov. On Reconstruction of Cortical Traveling Wave Parameters from MEG Data Using Neural Field Equations with Directionally Variable Excitation and Inhibition Parameters.Studies in Computational Intelligence, 1241: 646–655, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-07690-8_51

• E. Burlakov, A. Oleynik, A. Ponosov. Travelling Waves in Neural Fields with Continuous and Discontinuous Neuronal Activation. Mathematics, 13(5): 701, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/math13050701

• E. Zhukovskiy, E. Burlakov, I. Malkov. Caristi-Type Conditions in Constraint Minimisation of Mappings in Metric and Partially Ordered Spaces. Set-Valued and Variational Analysis, 31: 35, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11228-023-00697-w

• H. Bergland, E. Burlakov, J. Wyller. The Dynamics of Pasture–Herbivores–Carnivores with Sigmoidal Density Dependent Harvesting. Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 85: 104, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-023-01210-y

• E. Burlakov, E. Panasenko, I. Serova, E. Zhukovskiy. On Order Covering Set-Valued Mappings and Their Applications to the Investigation of Implicit Differential Inclusions and Dynamic Models of Economic Processes.Advances in Systems Science and Applications, 22(1): 176–191, 2022. https://doi.org/10.25728/assa.2022.22.1.1225

Intellectual Property

Patent No. 2024611018 — Software module for mathematical modeling of the spread of phytopathogens of agricultural crops in greenhouses.
Patent holder: Rospatent — Federal Service for Intellectual Property (Russian Federation), 2024

BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Aleksei Sergeevich Vasilchenko, Ph.D. in Biology Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science, Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEGM UB RAS)

English Proficiency Level: B2

1.5.11. Microbiology

Research Projects 

• RFBR Grant mol_nr_rf 13-04-9827 “Characterization of Novel Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides of Enterococci and Their Biological Effects on Symbiotic Microorganisms” (2013).
• Research Project under the State Assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for 2020–2023 (No. FEWZ-2020-0006).

Proposed Research Topics

• Ecological dualism of microbial antibiotics: molecular mechanisms regulating the rhizosphere microbiome and plant immunity.
• Cyclic lipopeptides of Bacillus as elicitors of systemic plant resistance: from transcriptional response to crop productivity.
• Comparative analysis of microbial metabolites’ effects on the structural and functional organization of soil and rhizosphere communities.
• Development of approaches for targeted formation of potato rhizobiomes using antibiotics produced by PGP-microorganisms.
• Construction of synthetic microbial consortia for sustainable crop production.
• Antibiotic resistance: diversity of natural and artificial resistomes and the ecological significance of this phenomenon.
• The quorum sensing system as a target for the regulation of microbial communities in agroecosystems to enhance plant productivity.

Research Interests

The supervisor’s scientific interests focus on molecular mechanisms of interactions within the plant–rhizosphere–microbesystem, aiming to develop strategies for directed management of agroecosystems.

Key aspects include:

• the role of secondary metabolites (antibiotics and elicitors) in microbiome regulation and systemic plant immunity induction;

• the design of synthetic microbial consortia;

• overcoming ecological risks associated with antibiotic resistance.

Research Program Features

Interdisciplinary approach: integration of microbiology, molecular plant biology, soil enzymology, and bioinformatics.
Multilevel experimentation: research conducted at three interconnected levels — in vitro (pure microbial cultures), in planta (laboratory microcosms), and in situ (field experiments).
Focus on molecular mechanisms: the program aims not only to describe observed effects but also to elucidate underlying molecular processes through transcriptional analysis and PCR diagnostics.

• Unique research infrastructure:includes third-generation sequencing platforms (PacBio) for microbiome analysis, real-time PCR amplifiers for gene expression studies, gas chromatographs with detectors for soil respiration measurements, and a capillary electrophoresis system for enzymatic activity assays.

• International cooperation: the laboratory actively collaborates with leading research centers in soil microbiology and agricultural biotechnology.

• Financial support: —

• Publication activity: research results are published in peer-reviewed journals indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (Q1–Q2). Graduate students are co-authors of publications.

Requirements for Prospective PhD Students

• Essential: PCR and real-time PCR (qPCR), DNA/RNA extraction, microbiological experiments, basic biochemical methods (spectrophotometry).

• Preferred: experience with soil microcosms, fundamentals of sequencing and microbiome bioinformatics, statistical data analysis (R).
  Software competence: proficiency in statistical packages (R, Statistica) and/or bioinformatics tools is a strong advantage.
  Personal qualities: result-oriented mindset, analytical thinking, independence, and attention to detail.

Selected Publications 

1. Vasilchenko A.S. et al. Macrolactin A Is an Inhibitor of Protein Biosynthesis in Bacteria. Biochimie, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2025.01.003

2. Vasilchenko A.V. et al. Triazoles and Strobilurin Mixture Affects Soil Microbial Community and Incidences of Wheat Diseases. Plants, 2023, 12(3):660. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030660

3. Poshvina D.V., Balkin A.S., Dilbaryan D.S., Vasilchenko A.S. Unravelling the Response of the Soil Microbiome to Macrolactin A: A Metagenomic Study. Chemosphere, 2025, 387, 144645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144645

4. Teslya A.V. et al. Fungal Secondary Metabolite Gliotoxin Enhances Enzymatic Activity in Soils by Reshaping Their Microbiome. Rhizosphere, 2024, 32, 100960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2024.100960

5. Vasilchenko A.S. et al. Bacillus-derived Cyclic Lipopeptides Modulate Microbiome Structure and Enzymatic Activity of Soil and Increase Productivity of Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.). Rhizosphere, 2025, 33, 101033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rhisph.2025.101033

• Patent No. 2645070 C2 (Russian Federation): Method for Obtaining Antimicrobial Peptides from Chicken Thrombocytes. Filed 06.06.2016; published 15.02.2018.
• Patent No. 2704421 C1 (Russian Federation): Strain Emericellopsis alkalina Bilanenko & Georgieva – Producer of Peptaibol Antibiotics with Antifungal and Antibacterial Activity. Filed 06.05.2019; published 28.10.2019

BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Research Specialties of Postgraduate Programs

Research Projects of the Supervisor

• Academic background: 
  higher education in biology, microbiology, genetics, molecular biology, or bioinformatics.
• Laboratory skills: experience in molecular biology and/or microbiology laboratories (media preparation and sterilization, aseptic techniques, understanding of cross-contamination control).
• Microscopy skills: proficiency in light microscopy and basic imaging techniques.

Selected Publications 

BIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Poshvina Daria Vladimirovna, PhD in Biology (Bashkir State Agrarian University, Diploma No. 421/nk-3 dated April 11, 2016)

English Proficiency Level: B1-B2

Research Specialties of Postgraduate Programs:

• Russian Science Foundation (RSF) Grant, “Investigation of the mechanisms of resistance formation in Gram-positive bacteria to peptide antibacterial agents” (2021–2023), Principal Investigator

• RSF Grant, “Biotechnological potential of macrolactin — an antimicrobial metabolite of Bacillus velezensis — for plant protection against phytopathogenic bacteria” (2023–2025), Principal Investigator

• State-funded Research Project, “Biological plant protection agents based on antimicrobial substances of plant and microbial origin” (2020–2023), Researcher

• Federal Scientific and Technical Program “Development of Genetic Technologies 2019–2027”, project “Microbiomes of agrocenoses: large-scale screening, monitoring, and management approaches” (2021–2023), Researcher

• Priority Research Area Grant (Major Research Project), “Emergent biological threats to agriculture in Russia and CIS countries” (2024–2026), Key Researcher

• RSF Grant No. 24-74-10031, “Centrohelid heliozoans: symbioses and symbionts” (2024–2026), Senior Researcher

• State-funded Research Project, “Formation of plant–microbe symbioses and study of molecular mechanisms of their functioning to develop biorational plant protection products” (2024–2026), Researcher

• Distribution and diversity of antibiotic resistance genes in environmental samples.

• Impact of anthropogenic pollution on the intensity of intermicrobial interactions and their role in gene dissemination.

• Molecular mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer of antibiotic resistance in various ecological niches.

• The role of wastewater treatment facilities in the enrichment and spread of antibiotic resistance genes.

• Species diversity and genomic characterization of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains isolated from environmental objects, with a focus on ESKAPE pathogens.

• Role of biofilms and microbial aggregates in wastewater treatment systems as “hotspots” of antibiotic resistance and their release into the environment.

• Monitoring and forecasting the spread of novel antibiotic resistance genes in the environment using metagenomic approaches to assess risks to human and animal health.

• Basic skills: Experience in molecular genetics (DNA/RNA extraction from environmental samples, PCR), microbiological methods (isolation of pure microbial cultures, phenotypic characterization), and biochemical techniques (spectrophotometry).

• Preferred skills (an advantage): Nucleic acid preparation for sequencing, bioinformatic and statistical data analysis (R).
  Software proficiency: Experience with statistical software (R, Statistica) and/or bioinformatics tools for sequencing data analysis is a strong advantage.
  Personal qualities: Result-oriented, analytical thinker, attentive to detail, capable of independent work.

• Poshvina D.V., Dilbaryan D.S., Kasyanov S.P., Sadykova V.S., Lapchinskaya O.A., Rogozhin E.A., Vasilchenko A.S. Staphylococcus aureus is able to generate resistance to novel lipoglycopeptide antibiotic gausemycin A. Front. Microbiol. 2022, 13:963979. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.963979

• Poshvina D.V., Dilbaryan D.S., Vasilchenko A.S. Gausemycin A-resistant Staphylococcus aureus demonstrates affected cell membrane and cell wall homeostasis. Microorganisms. 2023 May 18; 11(5):1330. doi:10.3390/microorganisms11051330

• Vasilchenko A.S., Burlakov E.O., Poshvina D.V. et al. The effect of long-term application of nitrogen-rich fertilizers on soil resistome: A study of conventional and organic cropping systems. Soil Ecol. Lett., 2024, 6(3): 230215

• Poshvina D.V., Balkin A.S., Dilbaryan D.S., Vasilchenko A.S. Unravelling the response of the soil microbiome to macrolactin A: A metagenomic study. Chemosphere, 2025, Vol. 387, 144645. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2025.144645