On September 1, KNRTU launches the first English- taught Master’s program in Chemical Technology “Smart Materials”.

The new program is planned to be implemented at the base of KNRTU Department of Physical and Colloid Chemistry. For the last few years, the scientific field of molecular engineering of highly organized materials for electronics and biomedicine has been successfully developing here. Besides, this area is actively supported by various grants and awards. A great experience of inter-university and international cooperation in both scientific and academic fields was gained by the Department’s research workers and professors, including participation in Erasmus program, publication of English-language teaching aids, training manuals, as well as research papers in the world top rated scientific journals.

The new Master’s program supervisor is a professor, D.Sc. in Chemistry Yuriy G. Galyametdinov, who created a new scientific field that includes development of methods for metal-containing liquid crystalline compounds obtaining, study of molecular structure, structural organization, study of a new compounds class’ physicochemical properties and specific features of their manifestation.

“Smart materials have a wide variety of application, they are now spreading all over the world. We use smartphones, install home automation system. All these modern conveniences couldn’t exist without using smart materials. Thus, training skilled and knowledgeable specialists, highly-qualified in the area of smart materials research, obtainment and application is undoubtedly very promising in these days”, -notes Pr. Galyametdinov. “Our program allows students to conduct research works in the field of smart materials application in industrial and biomedical technologies, including devices that we may use in our daily life”.

The program creators clarify that material science has always been one of the most dynamically developing subdisciplines. In the 20th century scientists were mainly aimed at creating materials with predefined set of properties in order to subsequently adapt them to specific external changes. What is worth paying special attention to is that almost all lecturers and professors engaged in scientific and educational process have gained considerable working experience within the walls of overseas universities.

“Today researchers deal with polyfunctional materials that are capable of generating a selective response to external stimuli by changing their properties”, -explains one of the new program creators, Associate Professor Artem N. Bezrukov. “Due to these special properties they’re called smart. The process of their creation is based on state-of-the-art of fundamental science in the field of physics and chemistry”.

Smart Materials educational program graduates will be given the opportunity to choose their career in the fields of science and applied science and to dedicate themselves to searching for solutions for the most cutting-edge areas of science and technology.