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‘You Cannot Understand a Country from the Outside—You Have to Live in It, Struggle in It, and Let It Surprise You’
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2
Nov
2026
‘You Cannot Understand a Country from the Outside—You Have to Live in It, Struggle in It, and Let It Surprise You’
Syed Amir Ali Shah Photo courtesy of Syed Amir Ali Shah
Syed Amir Ali Shah, from Islamabad, Pakistan, enrolled in the Master’s in Information Security and Artificial Intelligence Technologies（https://www.hse.ru/en/ma/cyber/） to study in a modern, international environment with ample opportunities to develop outside the classroom. In his time at HSE University in Moscow, Syed Amir Ali has gained deeper insight into the relationship between information security and AI, presented his research to the university community, and volunteered at a wide range of university events. Read on to find out more in this interview.
— Why did you choose HSE and Moscow for your studies?
— I chose HSE and Moscow for three main reasons. The first was HSE's reputation in my field. I wanted to study Information Security and Artificial Intelligence at a place where the programme is genuinely strong—not just on paper. HSE is one of the few universities in Russia that combines rigorous technical training with a modern, international approach. My programme covers both AI and cybersecurity, which is exactly the intersection I want to build my career in.
Second was the international environment. Coming from Pakistan, I wanted a university where I wouldn't just be a foreign student on the sidelines, but part of a genuinely global community. HSE has one of the most diverse student bodies in Russia, with students from all over the world. That mattered to me.
I didn't want to just study in Russia, I wanted to learn with Russia and the world
Third was the opportunity to grow beyond academics. I'm not only interested in code and algorithms. I care about community, communication, and building things that help people. HSE gave me the space to study AI seriously while also organising events and volunteering at university-wide initiatives. That balance is rare.
As for Russia and Moscow specifically—I was drawn to the country's strong scientific and technical tradition. Russia has a deep history in mathematics, physics, and engineering, and Moscow is the centre of that.
Photo courtesy of Syed Amir Ali Shah
— How would you describe your experience as an HSE student?
— Before arriving, I expected it to be difficult. I knew about the language barrier, the cultural differences, and the cold. But I also expected to find a place where education is taken seriously and where people are direct and genuine. And that's exactly what I found.
My experience at HSE has been very diverse. Academically, the programme has allowed me to study information security together with artificial intelligence, which has helped me understand how these two areas can complement each other.
One of the most interesting parts of my studies has been getting involved in practical research
For example, I participated in an HSE project involving generative models for expanding infrared hand-vein image datasets for biometric recognition . We worked with more than 30,000 images from eight datasets, experimented with different generative approaches, and used HSE's high-performance computing infrastructure for machine-learning experiments.
Outside the classroom, I have also tried to become part of the wider HSE community. I work as an event manager of Academic Curators（https://istudents.hse.ru/en/curators/） and have volunteered at events including the Career Marathon（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/1035940776.html）, HSE GSB graduation ceremonies（https://gsb.hse.ru/en/news/1074206715.html）, Unity Fest（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/1101312347.html）, HSE Extra（https://extra.hse.ru/en/） events, and other university activities. These experiences have allowed me to meet students from different programmes and countries and experience university life from a different perspective.
Photo courtesy of Syed Amir Ali Shah
— What has been your most memorable or unexpected experience in Moscow or at HSE so far?
— One of my most memorable experiences at HSE was seeing our GAN (generative adversarial network—Ed.) project selected for MIEM HSE Tech Day. We had spent a lot of time working with datasets, training different models, and dealing with the practical challenges that come with machine-learning experiments.
Seeing our project move from something we were developing as students to something that could be presented to a wider university audience was very rewarding
Another memorable experience happened during my Russian preparatory studies at Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography (MIIGAiK), where I participated in a career competition organised as part of the ‘Start of Career’ initiative. Students submitted their CVs and an essay called ‘My Future Profession,’ which were reviewed by participating employers. Among the winners, I was the only participant whose work was nominated by two companies, which was an unexpected and very encouraging experience for me as an international student.
— What are your impressions of life in Moscow?
— Moscow a very modern city with a strong connection to history and culture. In summer, the city transforms: people are out until midnight, the embankments are full of life, and there's a sense that everyone is making the most of the short warm season.
I also enjoy how much there is to explore. I have visited the Kremlin, Red Square, VDNKH, Kolomenskoye, the Tretyakov Gallery, the Pushkin Museum, and others. Participating in Maslenitsa and Victory Day celebrations also gave me opportunities to experience Russian traditions first-hand.
I appreciate how efficiently the city works—public transport runs like clockwork, and digital services are fast and convenient
Living in Moscow has also brought some unexpected challenges. Digital communication can sometimes be difficult for a foreign student trying to stay in contact with family and friends abroad, as the services I used before coming to Russia do not always work in the same way here. That can be difficult when your family is thousands of kilometres away.
Finding a job or internship in my professional field has also been more difficult than I initially expected. When I came here, I thought that being in such a large city and having a background in telecommunications, cybersecurity, and AI would make it relatively easy to find opportunities in my field. In reality, the language barrier has been a significant challenge, and my experience with the job market has been different from what I expected.
— What unexpected things have you learned from studying and living in Moscow?
— I did not expect how much studying abroad would change my understanding of my own adaptability. Before coming to Russia, I mainly thought about the academic challenge: learning a new subject, completing a master's degree, and building my professional career. But living in another country also requires you to learn how to communicate, understand different habits, solve everyday problems, and become comfortable with things that are initially unfamiliar. I have learned that you cannot understand a country from the outside. You have to live in it, struggle in it, and let it surprise you.
When I first arrived, Russian was mainly something I needed for adaptation. After spending more time here, I became genuinely curious about the language, history, traditions, and culture—and how these influence communication and everyday life
Learning Russian has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of my experience in Russia. At first, even simple situations such as shopping, using public transport, or communicating with people could be challenging. Gradually, however, I became more comfortable understanding and using Russian in everyday situations. My Russian language preparatory course at MIIGAiK gave me a foundation before continuing my studies and everyday life in Moscow. I am still learning and improving, but after almost two years here, I can see a significant difference compared with when I first arrived.
— What are your plans for the future?
— After completing my master's degree, I would like to continue toward a research-oriented career in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cybersecurity. I am interested in pursuing doctoral studies and researching adversarial machine learning, AI-driven cybersecurity, anomaly detection, and reliable intelligent systems.
I would also like to gain professional experience in an international, English-speaking environment where I can work with people from different backgrounds and develop my technical and research skills further. Australia is currently one of the countries I am particularly interested in for the next stage of my career.
In the longer term, my goal is to establish my own technology startup, ideally in an area connected with AI, cybersecurity, or intelligent security solutions
I would like to build a company that develops practical technologies rather than simply working on research as an academic exercise. For me, the long-term goal is therefore to combine research, industry experience, and entrepreneurship and eventually create something of my own.
Date
2 November
Topics
Community（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/community/）
Keywords
ideas & experience（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/tags/ideas/）international students（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/tags/international/）master's programmes（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/tags/ma/）artificial intelligence（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/keywords/885211597/）information security（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/keywords/117032150/）Pakistan（https://www.hse.ru/en/news/keywords/74761942/）