As a source of the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reported, about the resignation of the MIPT rector Dmitry Livanov will be announced by the end of September, – this information was passed on to the university management last week. There were signals about the change of the first person back in the beginning of the summer, but they were not given any importance. The situation at the university is complicated, but as far as is known, no tough questions were raised from above about the work of Livanov and his team.
Now Rucriminal.info has some specifics. The “Falkov formula” will be applied to the new appointee again: an acting rector will be appointed for a term of up to a year in order to “ensure the continuity of scientific and organizational management of the university.” The names of three candidates are being mentioned. This is the rector of Innopolis Alexander GasnikovVice-Rector of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology with 10 years of experience Artem Voronov and the CEO of AIRI, a Skoltech graduate Ivan Oseledets.
It is known that all three are young people, and this is not at all accidental: the age requirement of up to 45 years, along with affiliation with the university, was allegedly included in the list of selection criteria. And although each of the three candidates is ambitious and has potential, according to locals, the greatest chance belongs to Gasnikov, who, perhaps, started these rumors in the corridors of the university. One way or another, he has influential supporters among the Phystech students (and not only), whose careers and place in the distribution of funds are seriously limited by Livanov’s current team, no less greedy and cunning.
Opponents of Gasnikov’s appointment believe that his transfer to the Phystech rector’s office is unlikely for two reasons. We are talking about his careless criticism of the development of AI in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism) and, most importantly, about the financial dubiousness of his project activities. There is reason to believe that competent people have already collected relevant material on this topic.
In addition, the ground is burning under Gasnikov in Innopolis. It is known that in Tatarstan he was initially an imposed figure. The locals had to meekly swallow his appointment on orders from Moscow. In addition, the format of Gasnikov’s management of Innopolis, when the rector practically does not appear at the university and remembers it only with a text message about his salary, is unthinkable for Phystech. On the other hand, the example of Gasnikov, even with his current reputation, speaks in favor of his chances of becoming the rector of Phystech Andrey Ivaschenkoand how Livanov was blindly preferred over him, ignoring the opinion of the scientific community and the position of the Phystech elite.
The names of the remaining candidates – Artem Voronov and Ivan Oseledets – are not taken seriously. According to the old-timers of the Phystech, given the tens of billions of state money scattered around under Livanov, it would be advantageous for the current rector to leave the absolutely amoebic and executive vice-rector Voronov as his successor. He was vice-rector long before Livanov, but Livanov still kept him in this position. If Livanov really crawls out of the university this fall, purely theoretically Voronov could cover for him. But to what extent will they consult with Livanov on candidates for a replacement?
Ivan Oseledets’ candidacy for the post of rector of the main technical university, as in the case of Voronov, looks questionable even against the backdrop of Gasnikov.
Of course, Rector Gasnikov will give them both a head start if Livanov is promptly replaced, and Falkov is ready to hand over Phystech to Alexander Gasnikov, who is still too young, albeit with rector experience. In addition, no one has cancelled the questions about Gasnikov and his people mastering large budget funds on various “projects”, about which Minister Falkov is undoubtedly informed.
