Dubna branch of Moscow State University launches IT Master’s course On 20 January, the JINR-based Dubna branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU) announced the opening of enrolment for a new master’s course entitled “Data Processing Methods and Technologies in Heterogeneous Computing Environments”. Document submission will open in June 2025. Pre-registration for the enrolment is available on the branch’s website. There are 10 state-funded and 10 fee-based quotas. The head of the program is MLIT Scientific Leader Vladimir Korenkov. The teachers will be not only leading scientists and specialists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, but also teachers from MSU and other specialized universities and scientific and educational organizations. The course “Data Processing Methods and Technologies in Heterogeneous Computing Environments” focuses on training specialists who have mastered the methodology of organizing computing for large-scale scientific projects. The new program will pay special attention to megascience projects in high-energy physics and large-scale scientific projects implemented at JINR. The graduates of the Dubna branch will master all stages of these projects’ implementation: design, modeling, construction of an experimental facility, creation of a distributed computer system from an acquisition, filtration and preliminary processing subsystem to a subsystem of organizing the distributed storage, processing, analysis of information. At the same time, the program encompasses close interaction with JINR scientific projects in various fields of physics and radiation biology, which enables to flexibly select individual educational trajectories. “The MSU Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics and the Sarov MSU branch train highly qualified IT specialists. Still, there are no programs specifically for large-scale scientific project personnel in Russia, which makes the opening of this course in the Dubna MSU branch vital for us. These specialists will have a thorough understanding of scientific experiments from their student days and will be trained to work at the NICA, Baikal-GVD, JUNO, and other megascience projects. The program of our department at the Dubna MSU branch will be unique due to its integrated approach, in which students will delve into both computing and the necessary physical disciplines,” Vladimir Korenkov noted. He also underlined that the program provided for the in-depth study of data processing and analysis methods, including machine learning, neural networks, and work with Big Data. In addition to parallel computing, the emphasis will be on training in working with distributed computing and distributed data storage. The graduates of the Dubna branch will be able to successfully work in projects based on the use of heterogeneous computing environments, to create information and computing complexes for solving scientific tasks on top of supercomputer modeling methods and data mining methods, Big Data analytics, as well as neural network approaches, including deep learning neural networks implemented on novel hardware platforms using graphics accelerators. The program combines disciplines in software tools and models for megascience projects, distributed and parallel computing technologies, mathematical modeling, methods for effectively organizing the solution of complex tasks on high-performance systems, methodology for organizing data storage and management in large-scale scientific projects, and data management technologies in heterogeneous environments. Vladimir Korenkov stressed that studying in Dubna gave young scientists the opportunity to take part in advanced research underway at JINR and work on the unique computing infrastructure of the Meshcheryakov Laboratory of Information Technologies. “We certainly want to train specialists for JINR first and foremost, but I think that these specialists will be in high demand in other areas, not just in science. Modern information technology is developing swiftly. Industry, economics, and public administration need people who can work with distributed systems for processing, storing, and analyzing data. This is an extremely significant area, and here, I suppose, we will be at the forefront of education. At the same time, I hope that our traditions, our special scientific atmosphere will become a magnet that will not only attract young talents, but also give them a reason to stay and become part of the JINR team,” he emphasized. Despite the high demand for the program, there are no plans to expand the number of quotas in the near future. The program’s organizers, as well as the entire MSU branch in Dubna, consider it paramount to provide an individual approach to each student, which, in addition to organizing an effective educational process, will allow them to be assigned to the topic of their master’s project and a team of leading scientists who will be able to pass on their experience to them. Alongside the new program, the Dubna branch offers two other master’s physics courses (10 state-funded and 10 fee-based quotas): Particle Physics, headed by JINR Scientific Leader, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) Victor Matveev; Fundamental and Applied Nuclear Physics, headed by JINR Director, RAS Academician Grigory Trubnikov. The Dubna branch is headed by RAS Corresponding Member Eduard Boos. MSU higher education diplomas are given in two languages. Master’s students of the MSU branch are awarded a scholarship of 25,000 roubles and provided a dormitory in Dubna. A document confirming one’s bachelor’s degree and an examination are required upon admission. If you have any questions, please contact the branch’s admissions office by phone number +7 (496) 214-74-21 or by e-mail. Dubna MSU Branch in VK
