Founder and Director, The Null Institute
Ilya Nikitin is the founder and director of The Null Institute, an independent research initiative focused on replication, reproducibility, quantitative analysis, measurement, and the use of public datasets to test empirical claims.
His current work focuses on research methods, evidence assessment, reproducibility, and the design of research workflows that make analytical decisions, assumptions, and limitations explicit.
Research interests
Replication and reproducibility; quantitative research methods; measurement and experimental design; analysis of public and open datasets; research transparency and preregistration; testing alternative explanations of empirical findings; research workflow design and selective automation.
Academic background
Nikitin received his doctoral degree in microelectronics from St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University “LETI” in 2002. From 1997 to 2002, he worked as a junior research assistant at the university’s Microtechnology and Diagnostic Center.
His doctoral research examined the thermophysical properties of silicon-carbide-on-insulator microsystems. The work combined theoretical modelling, experimental measurement, device development, and analysis of scaling effects in microsensors and microactuators.
Among the subjects investigated were heat transfer at the microscale, thermal properties of thin silicon carbide layers, thermomechanical effects, temperature and flow sensors, infrared microemitters, thermal microactuators, and microreactors.
Earlier research
The doctoral research included theoretical and experimental investigation of a size-dependent heat-transfer effect in microsystems, analysis of thermal scaling laws, and measurements of thermophysical properties of thin silicon carbide layers.
The work also contributed to the development and experimental implementation of temperature, flow and vacuum sensors, infrared microemitters, thermomechanical actuators, a heated surgical blade, and a thermal microreactor for analytical applications.
This research resulted in 13 scientific publications and conference contributions and three issued patents. An additional patent application concerned a semiconductor thermomechanical microactuator.
Selected publications
Korlyakov, A.V., Luchinin, V.V., Nikitin, I.V.
“Size Effects and Scaling Effects in Thermophysical Microsystems.” St. Petersburg Journal of Electronics, 2001, No. 4, pp. 54–59.
Korlyakov, A.V., Luchinin, V.V., Nikitin, I.V., Serkova, M.N.
“Thermomechanical Microactuator.” St. Petersburg Journal of Electronics, 2001, No. 4, pp. 65–70.
Vasiliev, A.A., Korlyakov, A.V., Nikitin, I.V.
“Thermal Microsystems Based on Silicon Carbide.” St. Petersburg Journal of Electronics, 2000, No. 3–4, pp. 92–101.
Korlyakov, A.V., Luchinin, V.V., Nikitin, I.V., Busch, V., Liess, H.D., Lademann, J.
“Stable Integrated SiC-Based Microsystems: Heater/Temperature Sensor.” 4th International Workshop on Thermal Investigations of ICs and Microstructures, Cannes, France, 1998, pp. 279–282.
Zimina, T.M., Korlyakov, A.V., Luchinin, V.V., Nikitin, I.V.
“Stable and Fast Silicon Carbide Based Microreactor for Miniature Analytic-and-Processing Systems.” III International Seminar on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials, Novgorod the Great, 2000, p. 141.
Nikitin, I.V., Korlyakov, A.V., Luchinin, V.V.
“Integrated Temperature and Flow Sensor Operating under Extremal Conditions.” Russian Technologies for Industrial Applications IWRFRI’2000, St. Petersburg, 2000, pp. 172–173.
Patents
RU 2165663 — Infrared radiation source. Inventors: V.V. Luchinin, A.V. Korlyakov, S.V. Kostromin, I.V. Nikitin.
RU 2154435 — Electrosurgical scalpel. Inventors: V.V. Luchinin, A.V. Korlyakov, I.V. Nikitin, H.D. Liess, J. Lademann, V. Busch.
RU 2171467 — Microreactor for chemical and genetic testing. Inventors: V.V. Luchinin, A.V. Korlyakov, T.M. Zimina, I.V. Nikitin.
Current work
At The Null Institute, Nikitin is developing an independent research model centred on reproducibility, replication, transparent evidence assessment, and research using existing and openly available datasets.
The Institute experiments with structured research workflows in which hypotheses, analytical decisions, competing explanations, and unresolved uncertainties remain visible throughout the research process.
Nikitin is also founder and CEO of Et Plus Oy, a Finnish company specializing in financial market research and software development. His work there includes financial market and FX analysis, quantitative research, and the development of data-driven trading systems.
Contact: ilya.nikitin@nullinstitute.org