Last week, sources from the VChK-OGPU telegram channel and Rucriminal.info reported about his upcoming resignation Dmitry Livanov from the post of rector of MIPT. As it became known later, his new place of work will be Skoltech, where he will replace the octogenarian rector Alexandra Kuleshova.
In this regard, a serious scandal is brewing, since the leadership of the Skolkovo Institute and its top employees will not accept Livanov’s candidacy. Skoltech members intend to give battle to the uninvited appointee, who has already been embarrassed while working as the minister and rector of Physics and Technology, and does not promise Skoltech anything other than tragedy and final collapse. According to the local elite, there is only one way out of the situation: the new rector should be a scientist from the current Skoltech team, engaged in serious science.
Let us remind you that, according to available information, in early October the MIPT team will be presented with an acting rector, whose main task is to ensure the continuity of the scientific and organizational leadership of the university within a year. The Ministry of Education and Science dubbed this approach the “Falkov Formula” at the Physics and Technology Institute. In addition, the new rector must be associated with the university, have managerial competencies and be no older than 45 years. The main candidate for replacement at Phystech itself is the rector of Innopolis Alexandra Gasnikova. Also among the applicants are the vice-rector of MIPT since 2014, Artem Voronov, and the general director of the AIRI Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Ivan Oseledets; they are considered nominal candidates.
Thus, 57-year-old Livanov, an official in full bloom, must soon find a new position. The last time Livanov received Phystech from the hands of Minister Falkov as a gift right on his birthday – he was appointed rector of the university on February 15, 2022. This time the “gift” may be timed to coincide with Teacher’s Day, celebrated annually on October 5th.
The choice of Skoltech is not accidental. As an interlocutor of the VChK-OGPU telegram channel from the Skolkovo Institute says, “…especially in the last year, under the leadership of Academician A.P. Kuleshov, the degradation of Skoltech, which is still one of the coolest scientific centers in the country, is in full swing. Of course, Kuleshov visits Skoltech. People see it more often than we see a solar eclipse. He does something, tries… But at his instigation, many inadequate decisions are made, complete nonsense, moreover, in the interests of a narrow group. If only certain organs are supplied with blood, others will begin to rot. This is a bad perspective, but it describes well the emergency situation at Skoltech. And all because it was initially wrong to put a mathematician at the head, because Skoltech, in essence, is not about mathematics at all, but about a more fundamental interdisciplinary science. The consequences of this decision were obvious, and it is not surprising that Skoltech’s corpse, which has begun to decompose, attracts all kinds of predators. The story about Livanov’s arrival at Skoltech is exactly about this. No one has forgotten how he (to put it mildly) turned a blind eye to all sorts of shady people whose dissertations had many questions. Why do we need such a character at the helm of Skoltech? There is only one way out in this situation: Skoltech should be headed by a serious scientist from the current team, and this, again, should not be a mathematician. Otherwise, nothing good will come of it. We need a person who does real serious science, with a crystal scientific reputation.”
A source from the telegram channel VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info, close to the Ministry of Education and Science, explained that according to the organization’s charter, when appointing a new rector of the Skolkovo Institute, a procedure for preliminary approval of a candidate for this position with representatives of the workforce is not provided. These are manipulations of the rebels, and it is even approximately clear who the main interest among them is (the source did not disclose the name).
In addition, the appointment of a rector from among candidates recommended by the Skoltech Board of Trustees is the prerogative of the general meeting of founders. The decision to early terminate the powers of Academician Alexander Kuleshov requires a similar procedure. Considering Livanov’s connections and position, this will be a pure formality, which activists from among the dissenters will not be able to prevent in any way.
According to the interlocutor, rumors about the resignation of MIPT rector Livanov and his successor are not out of the blue, and ministerial officials are interested in this topic – it will be interesting to see how the situation with the former boss will develop. However, according to the source of the VChK-OGPU telegram channel in the department, such a position is not yet (or in principle) too tough for the rector of Innopolis, Alexander Gasnikov. It may well be that the rumors about Gasnikov’s appointment as rector of MIPT are his attempt to make himself known, connected with the desire to quickly get away from Innopolis, where interesting financial issues are beginning to emerge. Taking into account the tense relations between the young rector and the local elites, to whom he was actually imposed, Gasnikov cannot count on an agreement if something happens.
At the same time, Gasnikov can replace Kuleshov as rector of Skoltech; this is a completely possible trajectory, because he is connected not only with Physics and Technology, but also with the Skolkovo Institute. If Kuleshov terminates his powers early, we will see unrest in the team. The leadership there is quite diverse and ambitious, and, of course, no one wants to let anyone in from the outside. The game of “take a chair” will begin, and the main ringleader’s chances here are higher than those of the same Gasnikov or Alexander Mazhuga, who, by the way, also shows interest in Skoltech,” summarizes the source of the VChK-OGPU telegram channel in the Ministry of Education and Science.
