International student Stefan Hanssen about his internship at ISSEK

Stefan Hanssen, a native of Switzerland, is currently a second-year student in HSE’s Master’s Programme 'Financial Analyst (CFA Institute University Affiliation Programme)' offered by the HSE Banking Institute. He is currently undergoing an internship at ISSEK. Stefan told the HSE news service about the decision to study in Russia, internship and living in Moscow.

Full version of the material on the HSE portal.

Project work

As I said, it was really the firsthand work experience of the professors that attracted me to the programme. Now, I am getting some experience of my own. This year I began an internship at the Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge where I am conducting research on the application of blockchain technology in the financial sphere of Europe. I am studying its evolution and possible future applications, as well as looking into the ways this new technology can be regulated.

One thing I’ve particularly enjoyed about my internship is seeing how people work in Russia in comparison to my experience in Switzerland. It’s quite interesting. I would say that in my work here at the Institute, we have more freedom. We are of course supervised, but we are not as, I would say, regulated. In Switzerland, if you are given, say, tasks A, B, and C to complete, you have to complete them in a predetermined order, in a predetermine way, etc. Here, on the other hand, I have specific tasks to complete, but the way I do them is my own choice, and when I provide my results to my supervisor, we have a very interesting discussion.

If you want to become an intern at ISSEK, the acceptance of applications is open until March 15. Detailed information on the link (in Russian).