Pavel Talianov, a recipient of the 2022 Russian Presidential Scholarship, has been at HUST for over two months, immersing himself in both academic and campus life. As an exchange student, he is currently participating in a 10-month program at the School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation.

The "Scientific Research Internship Program for Students from World-Renowned Universities" was launched by the School of International Education of HUST in 2022. It integrated 44 scientific research internship positions and attracted more than 30 international students from world-renowned universities such as Oxford, Duke, and UCPH. Pavel was the first international student to join this program and also one of the first Russian Presidential Scholarship recipients to study in China.

Pavel joined Saint-Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO), a leading college in Russia's information and optical technology field, in 2019 to pursue his doctorate in condensed matter physics. Since his undergraduate and graduate studies were all undertaken at St. Petersburg State University, Pavel's participation in the program at HUST is the first time he has experienced studying abroad.

Pavel's research interests overlap significantly with those of HUST Professor Liu Wenzhong, whose lab he joins as a researcher. Professor Liu is known for his extensive work in basic and frontier research on microscale temperature imaging, such as medical imaging theory for magnetic nanoparticles, micro-scale fast-temperature imaging methods and techniques, and high-resolution magnetic particle imaging devices. Pavel's study involves academic topics related to nanomaterials, perovskites, and other academic frontiers involving materials science, chemistry, physics and medicine.

Although this is Pavel's first time studying abroad, he has already demonstrated his adaptability and integrated well into campus life. He spends four days a week conducting experiments in the laboratory and three days a week writing papers. Furthermore, he has established friendship with a fellow HUST student and TPIS volunteer Zhong Jiaxi through their shared interests in anime and manga.

As a fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Pavel found common ground with Zhong and other students while discussing games, comics and other related topics. With only a month of studying Chinese under his belt, he can already recognize some characters in the university motto. Despite the long distance between the laboratory and the dormitory, he still chooses to walk to enjoy the beautiful scenery and get some exercise.

While engaging in such cross-cultural research collaboration can be challenging, Pavel is enthusiastic about the opportunity, saying: "Sometimes it's vital to change your work and study environments. Rather than staying in the same place, frequently changing your work environment encourages creativity."

Currently, Pavel's research work focuses on developing nanomaterials with dual-response properties (magnetic and fluorescent responses), particularly luminescent nanoparticles for biomedical applications, which enable advanced tumor diagnostics by combining magnetic resonance imaging and fluorescence imaging methods.

Professor Liu Wenzhong commented, "He is curious about knowledge in unknown fields, highly motivated and has an active mind. He is friendly and optimistic and fits in well at our lab."

Pavel said that he would definitely choose to come back to China if given the chance, describing his time at HUST as a precious experience that provides precious opportunities for scientific exploration and personal growth.

Written by: Gong Jiarui

Edited by: Meng Ziyun, Chang Wen, Peng Yumeng