A Guide to the Russian Academy of Sciences - University of Texas ...

departments are known. In 1991, of these, two were in their 40s; 43 in their 50s; 68
in their 60s; 14 in their 70s; nine in their 80s; and one in his 90s. Eighty percent of
the Directors are in their 60s or below. The oldest are Generally in biology,
chemistry, geology, mathematics, and physics. In the Russian lexicon these are
among the oldest and strongest sciences.
Deputy Directors of Research Institutes--Age Analysis: The birth dates of 133 of
the Deputy Directors is known. In 1991, nine were in their 40s; 50 were in their 50s;
50 were in their 60s; 16 in their 70s; and eight in their 80s. Eighty-two percent of the
Deputy Directors were in their 60s or below. Their average age when chosen was
46.5 years. Several of those in their 80s have much younger superiors over them.
The appointment of older academicians of the academy as Advisors to the Presidium
in 1988, affords them honor. Coupled with an expansion of membership that
appears to be beginning to occur, younger Russian scientists are being recognized
and promoted into positions of authority. The road to the top will not be left unguarded
by the older scientists, nor will scientific merit be less rigorously required.
In the 1980s, research and development appears to have been absorbing these
increasingly large numbers of bright young scientists, although the economic plight
of the country has slowed, if not stopped this progress in the 1990s.
Representation of the Scientific Disciplines and Geographic Departments in
the Academy: The Vice Presidents of the academy are selected from the four
subject-matter areas and from the geographic regional departments.
The Physical, Technical and Mathematical Sciences are represented by
Evgenii P. Velikhov, D. PM. S. Born in 1935 in Moscow. Russian theoretical
physicist. Since 1974, he has been an academician of the General Physics and
Astronomy Department of the Academy and since 1984, he has acted as
Academician Secretary of the Information Science, Computer Technology, and
Automation Department of the Academy. He graduated from Moscow State
University in 1958 and began working in the Institute of Atomic Energy becoming
Head of one of its departments in 1962. He has been a professor at Moscow State
University since 1968. From 1971 to 1988, he served as Deputy Director of the I.
V. Kurchatov Atomic Energy Institute in Moscow. In 1988, he was named Director
of this important institute that was created in 1943 to develop nuclear weapons. It is
the largest institute in Russia that concentrates on nuclear research that includes all
aspects of atomic energy, including plasma and solid state physics, fission and
fusion reactors, and lasers. The institute is directly subordinate to the State
Committee for Utilization of Atomic Energy. Since 1977, he has served as Vice
President for the Physical and Mathematical Sciences Section of the Academy.
Since 1978, he has headed the Geophysical Laboratory of the High Temperatures
Institute in Moscow, and has served as a member of the Board of the General
Assembly of the GKNT. Since 1984, he has been Deputy Director for science of the
Industrial Lasers Scientific Research Center in Troitsk subordinate to the Academy.
The center is comprised of scientific research divisions, a design bureau, and an
experimental production facility that develops and introduces laser tools and methods
into industry. His works are in low-temperature physics, plasma and magnetic
hydrodynamics. Since 1984, he has also served as a Deputy Director for Science of
the Archive of the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. In 1986, he was the
recipient of the M. D. Millionshchikov Prize in atomic power engineering. (GSE 4,
p. 565.)
The Chemo-Technical Sciences are represented by Oleg M. Nefedov, D.
Chem. S. Born in 1931. Since 1970, Chief of the Carbene Chemistry laboratory of
the N. D. Zelenskii Organic Chemistry Institute in Moscow. Corresponding
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