'From Morocco to Oman': HSE University-St Petersburg Graduate on Studying the Middle East, Academic Career and Developing Skills
In 2026, Valeriia Novikova graduated from the Bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies'. Now, she is preparing to start a new academic year as an HSE University-St Petersburg master's student and is simultaneously developing the brand of the International Orchestra of United Cultures, conducting research on medieval manuscripts, and planning to attend a conference in Oman. Read on to find out more about Valeriia's career and academic paths.
— Why did you decide to apply for 'Asian and African Studies'?
— When I was at school, my parents travelled a lot around the world, including the countries in the Middle East and Africa to the south of the Sahara. Before each trip, I read a lot about the places we were to visit: Cairo, Marrakesh, Manama and Dar es Salaam. I liked watching everything around me, experiencing another culture, and taking it to heart. I dreamt of returning to these places again but not as a tourist.
Till the middle of my senior year, I was preparing to apply for a technical programme, but at one moment, something clicked, and I switched to Arab studies. My family was surprised, to put it mildly. By that time, the selective stages of specialised olympiads were over, and there wasn't enough time to prepare for state exams in other subjects. But I went all in and, as a result, got enrolled in HSE University-St Petersburg for a fee-paying place. By the end of the first year, I got transferred to a state-funded place—back then, I already saw it as a good sign.
— Why did you choose 'Asian and African Studies' at HSE University-St Petersburg?
— When I was choosing a university, I searched for the programmes which gave not just a strong language basis but a comprehensive understanding of the region. How can you engage in economics without understanding political processes? Or how to study history without knowing the modern agenda of the region? I didn't want to be just a historian or a translator.
The Institute for Asian and African Studies at HSE University-St Petersburg attracted me the most with its interdisciplinarity. In junior years, students get knowledge in history, politics, culture, economics and anthropology, and in the senior years, they choose a track and deepen their knowledge in this area. In my opinion, this is the formula of professionalism.
— What knowledge and skills did you gain in the bachelor's programme?
— First of all, languages. Most often, in my work and research, I use written and oral Arabic, but apart from that, I know Turkish, Hebrew and Persian. Thus, four Eastern languages and several European...
The flexible curriculum allowed me to shape my own development trajectory. In the last five years, I managed to undertake three internships: two language ones in Morocco and an academic one in Israel. Besides, I took part in two Summer Schools in Uzbekistan.
A vivid memory is my internship at the Museum for Islamic Art in Jerusalem, the only museum in Israel with an exhibition of the cultural heritage of the Arab-Muslim civilisation. There, wearing elegant white gloves, I explored the culture of the 16th century and together with colleagues designed an educational programme for school students in two languages. I still remember how I returned home in the evenings and couldn't even think in my native language, Russian—that's how bad English, Arabic and Hebrew mixed in my head.
— What is the most interesting part in studying the Middle East for you?
— I don't like choosing just one, so the Middle East for me is a perfect research object. There are Arab and non-Arab cultures, dozens of languages, different political regimes, social phenomena and traditions coexisting in one place. Today, you are studying the Tuareg people in the Sahara; tomorrow, you are working with manuscripts from Damascus; and the day after tomorrow, you analyse economic reforms in the Persian Gulf countries.
The Middle East opens up to you as if you were the most patient treasure hunter—layer by layer. Attention to diversity and critical thinking help to see the region and dispel myths about it as a conservative and conformist space.
As for my direct interests, they cover the field of social history of the Arab East and were shaped under the influence of my academic supervisor, Milana Iliushina, with whom I have been working since the first educational projects. I combine classical historical methods with approaches of social sciences and tools of digital humanities. I'm interested in working at the junction of disciplines—it allows me to ask the sources new questions and explore complex processes in the region more deeply.
— What extracurricular organisations were you a part of?
— An important part of my university life was the Middle East club, which I was the head of starting from the second year. Together with a team of 13 people, we carried out lots of academic, cultural and general-audienceprojects. Among them were the International School of Young Arabists, the All-Russian Scientific Conference of Young Experts in Middle Eastern Studies and our favourite traditional poetry readings. The Middle Eastern one, obviously.
Perhaps the craziest idea I turned into reality was bringing directors of documentaries from Oman and showing their films to the Russian audience at ROSPHOTO. It was possible only thanks to the support of professors and students of the Institute for Asian and African Studies. It is they who still inspire me and motivate me to set ambitious goals.
— Could you share your academic achievements?
— The first serious step in my academic path was the participation in the research and study group 'Army and Military Traditions in the Middle East and Northern Africa', to which Milana Iliushina invited me. Within the project, I was exploring the social history of the Arab East using medieval sources in Arabic and Hebrew.
Over two years of group work, I published two articles in a prestigious Russian journal on Asian and African Studies and presented reports at several Russian and international conferences. Then, I realised that science could be a full-time job which made you money.
The next milestone was winning the grant contest of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF). Last summer, during an internship in Rabat, I sat in a cafe on the Atlantic coast, talked to Milana Iliushina and briefly mentioned the idea to start research on social mobility in the medieval Mamluk Sultanate. Then, everything happened almost instantly: we drew up an application and sent it, and in autumn, we found out that RSF supported our project and provided the funding for two years.
Now, I'm preparing for the international conference in Oman where, together with the director of the Centre for Arabic and Humanities Studies at the University of Nizwa, I will present our joint project on the development of students' academic potential.
Each stage, each achievement fed my desire to devote myself to a scientific career: become a strong researcher, an experienced professor, a thoughtful mentor. In September, I will return to the university, but this time, as a student of the Master's programme 'Cross-Cultural Studies of Asia and Africa in the Context of International Relations'. After that, I'm planning to continue my studies in a PhD programme.
— In addition to the intense academic activities, you are building a successful career. How do you manage it?
— The five years of studying in 'Asian and African Studies' have shaped high working capacity and developed skills of quickly switching between tasks and working in a team. All these things help to build career trajectories in several spheres simultaneously.
One of my tracks is related to the Centre for Interdisciplinary Basic Research. Here, I try to keep my finger on the pulse and realise how I can be helpful in my research sphere and what new knowledge I can produce.
My second track is the production in the sphere of international cultural and research projects. Now, I'm developing a brand of the International Orchestra of United Cultures in the global market: communicate with international partners and composers, work on the orchestra's presence in the media and organise tours (we're going to Bahrain!). My experience in creating department projects (from generating ideas to their implementation) helps me a lot, for sure.
— What would you wish to future students?
— I believe that the main value of higher education, after theoretical and practical knowledge, is an opportunity to learn something new about yourself and see what talents and skills are hidden inside.
Try your hand at any, even the most unexpected areas. You don't have to know in your first year what you will become in five years. Your interests will find you. The most important thing is to take the initiative: participate in research, conferences, forums, schools and international programmes, offer ideas and don't be afraid to implement them. HSE University-St Petersburg will definitely support you.
