"There are not many such scientists": "Putin's daughter" defended her dissertation at Moscow State University

Katerina Tikhonov, who is called the youngest daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin by the media, on May 24 became a candidate of physical and mathematical sciences. The dissertation council unanimously voted for awarding a degree, none of those present at the defense did not criticize the work, and the only scientist who had questions to the dissertation could not get into defense.

Screenshot from the video of the Rossiya TV channel

Tikhonov defended at the Moscow State University (MSU). Lomonosov, one of the scientific leaders of the work was the rector of the university Viktor Sadovnichy. He is also the head of the Department of Mathematical Analysis at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University, writes with the BBC.

Not let everyone

The Institute of Mechanics of Moscow State University, where the defense was held, has a complicated access control regime. You can go there only by skipping an employee or student intern, or according to a pre-approved list.

Third-year students who left the building of the Institute of Mechanics during the defense of Tikhonova, said that they had not heard anything about what was happening in the building. Irina, a student of the Mechanics Department, admitted that she had heard the name of Tikhonova for the first time from a BBC correspondent. She also did not notice any additional security measures at the institute.

Another student admitted that he read media publications about Tikhonova’s personality, but considers them to be rumors.

Together with the journalists on the list, an elderly man also tried to get into the building, introducing himself as Givi Gorgiladze, a professor at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Gorgiladze said that the topic of Tikhonova’s dissertation—a study of the work of the vestibular apparatus in astronauts—falls within the scope of his scientific interests. But, to the scientist’s surprise, he was unable to get into the building without a pass. According to the regulations on the admission regime of Moscow State University, you can get to the defense if the dissertation council puts those interested in a special list.

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Gorgiladze himself spent a long time studying the vestibular apparatus. In 1994, he defended his PhD thesis on the topic “On vestibular function: some electrophysical aspects” and sent snails into space. But he criticized Tikhonova’s work - and not only because he couldn’t get in. He noted that all of Tikhonova’s publications were made in collaboration; she does not have completely independent works. In addition, he is confused by the fact that Tikhonova is a mathematician, and the study of the vestibular apparatus, according to Gorgiladze, requires detailed knowledge of the structure of the brain.

He said that he heard from colleagues that Tikhonova is the daughter of the head of state.

“I don’t like him [the head of state]. You see what's going on. A researcher needs to grow. This is a piece of goods... Apparently, they did not deal with her [Katerina]. I probably felt sorry for her,” he said.

As a result, Gorgiladze was the only scientist on this day who asked at least some questions and criticized Tikhonova’s work. True, from the steps of the building of the institute, since they did not let him into the audience.

“We met on Skype from eight in the evening until one in the morning”

The small hall where the defense took place was completely packed: about a hundred people came to listen to Tikhonova’s defense, among whom were a dozen journalists. Initially, they didn’t want to let journalists to the defense at MSU, explaining that there was never such a precedent. But at the last moment, they nevertheless allowed several reporters to be present.

Katerina Tikhonova entered the hall exactly at 16: 00, she was presented with flowers. She came accompanied by Sadovnichy, none of her close relatives came to the defense.

Tikhonova presented her dissertation on the topic “Mathematical problems of correcting the activity of vestibular mechanoreceptors” for about half an hour. After the speech, she was asked only one clarifying question.

The first after this, the word was taken by its supervisor Rector Sadovnichy. He first said that Tikhonov is not a mathematician and not a physicist, but an orientalist. Previously, there was no official information about Tikhonova’s education. According to Sadovnichy, in 2009, she graduated from the Institute of Asian and African Countries of Moscow State University and became a specialist in Japan.

“At this time she came to me, she was present at one of the seminars that I was teaching, and she said: I want to do mathematics, that part of mathematics that has applications. Of course, for me it was a little unexpected, because there are humanities majors, and there are natural sciences majors, and then a man came up and asked for the opportunity to study mathematics,” shared the rector of Moscow State University.

According to him, it is very difficult for an ISAA graduate to pass the master's exams in mathematics and write a master's work.

“Due to her hard work, she [Tikhonova] brilliantly completed her master’s thesis. Well, then we discussed that maybe we could join [the department] and become an applicant. And now, after almost seven years of work [on her Ph.D. dissertation], she managed to present her work to your judgement. I am not new to preparing candidates and doctors of science, but I want to note the exceptional hard work and talent of the dissertation candidate. You judge the work, but I want to say that we are getting a worthy specialist in a very complex topic; there are not many such scientists,” Sadovnichy praised the applicant.

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Then the second scientific supervisor of the dissertation, Vladimir Aleksandrov, spoke. He noted the relevance of the study: “Taking into account the latest incidents at Sheremetyevo airport, part of the blame should be placed on pilot training centers where there are no modern simulators.”

He recalled that Tikhonova did not quit her job while writing her dissertation. “We met on Skype from eight in the evening until one in the morning,” said the scientist. Tikhonova runs the Innopraktika company, which operates on the basis of Moscow State University.

After Alexandrov, Sadovnichy decided to speak out again and said that the study of the vestibular apparatus that Tikhonova conducted was related to her hobby - acrobatic rock and roll.

“Katerina Vladimirovna is a well-known specialist in sports rock and roll, so she insisted on doing two methods of correction, insisted on doing a part about cognitive correction too. And we told her that writing about one method is enough,” the rector of Moscow State University told the story of the work.

Opponent Vladimir Solovyov, a former cosmonaut, noted that the work was “interesting, necessary, complex, and good.” Another opponent, Inesa Kozlovskaya (chief researcher at the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems), said that “the work is well designed, lovingly.”

In her closing remarks, Tikhonova agreed with all that was said and thanked all the members of the board and her scientific leaders. She confirmed that acrobatic rock and roll inspired her dissertation.

“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do something that is both practical and romantic,” Tikhonova said.

All 18 members of the dissertation council voted for awarding the academic degree of Candidate of Sciences to Tikhonova. Immediately after the vote, Tikhonova, accompanied by Sadovnichy, quickly left the audience. While she was leaving, a group of young people, who did not look like students of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics, lined up in an organized manner at the exit of the auditorium and blocked the passage for journalists - just as they did during the break for members of the dissertation council to vote. They refused to speak to the BBC correspondent and, at the end of the event, they all left the building together.

"Independent Explorer"

The fact that Tikhonov is the youngest daughter of President Putin was told in 2015 year by Reuters и Bloomberg. Several BBC sources also confirmed this information. In a press release from the US Department of the Treasury of 6 on April 2018, Tikhonov was named the daughter of the Russian president. Putin himself never confirmed, but did not deny the relationship with her.

The fact that Katerina Tikhonova’s scientific supervisor was personally the rector of Moscow State University is unusual and very honorable. Sadovnichy rarely acts as the supervisor of dissertations; since 2009, Tikhonova’s dissertation is the fourth in a row.

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Tikhonova's dissertation is devoted to how to correct the signals from the vestibular apparatus entering the brain and restore a normal sense of balance in conditions of unusual gravity or in the case of a disease that affects this organ. Its development should help pilots and astronauts in particular. The Open Media publication reported that, according to the Anti-Plagiarism system, its text is 95% original, and most of the borrowings were taken from the publications of one of its scientific supervisors, Alexandrov.

In a review of Tikhonova’s PhD, Sadovnichy writes that she “proved herself to be an independent, motivated, purposeful and hardworking researcher, fluent in modern mathematical methods and capable of not only solving quite complex problems of analysis and synthesis of control of mechanical and biomechanical systems, but also posing such problems” .

A leading researcher at the Institute of Mechanics, Vera Kalenova, who was present at the defense, said that, in her opinion, the relationship of Tikhonova and Putin could not exert pressure on the dissovet.

“Except for the situation around. The strictness along the passage was completely unnecessary. The defense takes place absolutely openly, anyone is present. And today they check the passes, with a smile,” Kalenova said. “Well, maybe it’s justified.”

It’s interesting that Tikhonov has been on the website of the “Bulletin of Novgorod University” for several years now. represented Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Judging by the information published on the Istina website, Tikhonova has been conducting scientific activities since 2011. She has five journal citations, according to Web of Science, and nine, according to Scopus. Together with Sadovnichy and Aleksandrov and other scientists, Tikhonova is listed as the holder of two patents for devices, as well as a co-author of four software developments.

Not only scientist

In 2015 year стало известноthat the Innopraktika company, created on the basis of the structures of Moscow State University, under the leadership of Tikhonova is developing the concept of the “MSU Valley” project. “Innopraktika” operates on the basis of the National Intellectual Development Foundation and the Center for National Intellectual Reserve (a structural division of Moscow State University). The fund was registered in December 2012. Since then, he has made money from government contracts, receiving government contracts worth more than a billion rubles ($2014 million) since 15,5 for scientific developments, mainly related to geology. The main customer of the fund is Rosneft and its subsidiary, the Arctic Science Center.

Katerina Tikhonova is also known as an athlete, professionally engaged in acrobatic rock and roll. Together with her partner Ivan Klimov, she (acts under the name Ekaterina Tikhonova) won medals at the championships of Russia, Europe and the world. At the World Cup 2014, which was held in Moscow, the pair won silver. Numerous video clips are available on YouTube.

Now Tikhonova is one of the vice-presidents of the World Rock and Roll Confederation. She also heads the international committee of the Russian Federation in this sport.

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