On South Ural State University's birthday, a beautiful tradition was renewed: recognizing employees who have made a special contribution to SUSU's development and successfully solved the most complex and important professional and production challenges.
The SUSU Recognition Award 2025 included several categories: “Sport of the Year”, “Mastery of the Year”, “Culture of the Year”, “Education of the Year”, and “Science of the Year”. The best employees were selected by independent voting.
Pavel Gamov, Dean of the SUSU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, was named the winner in the “Education of the Year” category. The award was presented to him by Marina Potapova, Vice-Rector for Education.
We spoke with the winner about how our university came into his life, and what inspires him to achieve professional success.
– How did you come to connect your life with South Ural State University?
– There were several factors involved. My supervisor's position during my Master's degree programme influenced this decision in large part. While working on my Master's thesis, I became familiar with all the department's areas of work, which interested me. The economic situation in our country also played a role: in 2009, it was difficult to find a good job, and the department had just won a grant for research projects, which appealed to me, offering both scientific and financial prospects. Afterwards, I defended my Candidate of Sciences thesis, which further strengthened my desire to stay at SUSU.
– What inspires you to be successful in your professional career?
– A faculty member's professional work encompasses several areas: research and education, and sometimes management. And the success of our work is tied to the faculty's commitment to each of these areas. I am very motivated by our university's commitment to scientific development — they always support employees in applying for federal grants and help them organize work with businesses. In terms of education, our university strives to stay on top of modern approaches. One example of this is the creation of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, and the preparatory process itself: discussing the university's structure, concepts, and the components that would be incorporated into the new faculty. All of this required significant changes from our university, and our university has been accommodating. This courage inspires new ideas!
– What would you like to wish our university on its birthday?
– I hope SUSU remains a driver of development for our region. This requires fundamental research, technological advancement, and educational development. Then our university will be able to attract students not only from our region but from across our whole country.
Our congratulations to Pavel Gamov, and we wish him further professional success!