Yury Alekseevich RYZHOV – a prominent Russian scientist, politician and statesman. Chairman of the Russian Pugwash Committee since February 27, 2001. Member of the Council of the Pugwash Conferences since 2002. He was elected as Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1987.

Yury Ryzhov’s contribution to the development of aerodynamics of high velocities, dynamics of the rare gases, theory of interaction of the particles of atomic scale with the surface and non-balanced processes in the gas current, the theory of non-stationary heat exchange is enormous.

Yury Ryzhov’s discoveries were practically applied to develop air-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, new type aircraft and a landing vehicle for Venus. At present, Yury Ryzhov is the President of the International Engineering University; Head of Chair of Aerodynamics and Professor of the Moscow Aviation Institute; and Chairman of the Russian Pugwash Committee under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS); and Chair of the RAS Scientific Council on History of World Culture.

He has a vast experience of research and educational work:

1954 – Graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Techniques (Dolgoprudny, Moscow Region) with the qualification “aeromechanics”.

1954-1958 – Engineer, the Zhukovsky Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI) of the Soviet Ministry of Aviation Industry. He dealt with experimental and theoretical aerodynamics of air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles.

1958-1960 – Senior Engineer, the Research Institute of Heat Processes of the Soviet Ministry of General Machine-Building.

1960-1992 – Associate Professor, Professor, Chair of the Department of Aerodynamics of Aircraft, Vice Rector, Senior Vice Rector, Rector of the Moscow State Aviation Institute.

Since 1994 - President of the International Engineering University (Moscow)

Since 2002 - Chair of the Department of Aerodynamics of Aircraft of the Moscow State Aviation Institute.

Since the mid-1980s Yury Ryzhov has actively been involved in political activities.

1989-1991 – Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Member of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Chairman of the Committee for Science and Technology, one of the founders of the Inter-Regional Deputy Group at the Congress of People’s Deputies of the USSR (the group was headed by Andrei Sakharov)

1990 - 1999 – Member of the Presidential Council of the Russian Federation

1992 - 1999 – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France

2001 - till present – Chairman of the Russian Pugwash Committee at , Member of the Council of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs (the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize Winner). Chairman of Scientific Council on History of World Culture at the Russian Academy of Sciences. Member of numerous political, public and scientific councils.

Honors and degrees:

Doctor of Technical Sciences (1970), Professor (1972) Correspondent Member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences (1981) Academician of the Soviet / Russian Academy of Sciences (1987)

Diplomatic rank:

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (1992)

Awards and prizes:

Soviet State Prize in the Area of Science and Technology for the discoveries concerning aerodynamics of the landing vehicle for Venus (1983)

The Zhukovsky Prize “The Best Work on the Theory of Aviation” – for research in the area of aerodynamics of aircraft (1988)

The Russian Federation Presidential Prize for the Outstanding Academic Merits (2000)

Awards by Russian and foreign academies and academic societies: Orders USSR Order of the October Revolution (1986) USSR Order of the Labor Red Banner (1970) USSR Order of the Mark of Honor (1976) Order of the Russian Federation “For the Merits to Motherland”, 3rd degree (1999) Order of Officer a Legion of Honor, France (1999)