Yandex Launches School of Data Analysis

— Masters-Level Program to be Sponsored by Russia’s Leading Internet Search Company —

— Faculty to be Led by Rutgers Professor Ilya Muchnik, Ph.D., and Other Distinguished Faculty —

Moscow, July 25, 2007. Yandex, Russia's largest Internet portal and search engine, today announced the opening of the Yandex School of Data Analysis, a two-year Master’s-level program led by Dr. Ilya Muchnik, Ph.D., a world class scientist and professor of computer science at Rutgers University.

The Yandex School will train students on how to apply data processing and analysis to the Internet and Internet search algorithms. Courses will be offered in a variety of subjects such as automated indexing and information search technologies as well as complex methods of data processing (aggregation, automated classification, facts extraction, decision-making theory, etc.) and the application of cutting-edge scientific models and methods.

Russian scientists and academics have long been leaders in pattern recognition and other technologies related to search and Web 2.0, and this academic program will be designed to give students the academic and technical skills that are projected to be in high demand in the years to come.

Classes will be taught by a Moscow-based academic staff as well as leading international experts. In addition to Professor Muchnik, the faculty includes such luminaries as professors Alexey Chervonenkis and Albert Shiryaev.

”We are pleased to have the Yandex name associated with such a talented pool of professors that truly represents the best and the brightest in the world,” said Arkady Volozh, Yandex's CEO. ”Like every high-tech company these days, however, we face an ever increasing need of talent. This program is designed to address that need, and we expect to hire a number of the program’s most accomplished graduates.”

Commenting on the mission of the school, Professor Muchnik said, ”The goal of this academic program is to give students a top-notch but also practical education where they can develop the talents and knowledge that can immediately be applied upon entering the workforce. Many of the fundamental technologies that Internet users around the world use every day were developed in Russia, and this program is designed to centralize that academic know-how and ensure that innovation continues long into the future. This program builds upon the long Russian tradition of strong, math-based data analysis skills with practical, commercial applications.”

Yandex will begin accepting applications from senior undergraduates and professionals for admission to the Yandex School of Data Analysis beginning today, and prospective students will be notified if they have been accepted in September 2007. Classes are scheduled to begin on September 25, 2007 with a total class size of approximately 80 students. Tuition will be fully subsidized by Yandex.

Further information about the school can be found at the following Web site (available in Russian): http://company.yandex.ru/school.

Contact:
Media Relations
Vladimir Isaev, Ochir Mandzhikov
Phone: +7 495 739-7000
E-mail: pr@yandex-team.com