Jubilees

Boris Yu. Sharkov turned 75

On 11 February, the jubilee of the outstanding scientist, the widely known specialist in the field of nuclear physics, Special Representative of JINR Director for Cooperation with International and Russian Scientific Organizations, RAS Academician Boris Yu.Sharkov was celebrated.

Boris Yu. Sharkov was born in Moscow. In 1973, he graduated from the Faculty of Theoretical and Experimental Physics at MEPhI. In 1978, he defended his PhD thesis in the specialty "Laser plasma". Until 1985, he worked at the Department of Quantum Radiophysics at MEPhI, from research intern to senior researcher. Afterwards, he worked at the A.I.Alikhanov Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (ITEP), where he passed all stages of his scientific career: a senior researcher, a leading researcher, head of laboratory, deputy director for research, acting director and director. In 1991, he defended his doctoral thesis in "Physics of charged particle beams". In 2005-2008, he headed ITEP. In 2006, Boris Sharkov was elected Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Department of Energy, Mechanical Engineering, Mechanics and Control Processes and in 2016 - Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Department of Physical Sciences.

Since 2008, Boris Sharkov has headed the Research Centre "FAIR - Russia". From 2010 to 2016, he was Director and Scientific Leader of the large international project "European Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research FAIR" (Darmstadt). In 2017-2018, he was Deputy Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. Since 2018, he has been Vice-Director of JINR.

Boris Sharkov is a specialist in the field of thermal physics of extreme state of matter with high specific local energy concentration level, as well as in the field of accelerator physics and is considered a pioneer in the field of development and use of laser ion sources. He headed the project of modernization of the ITEP-TWAC accelerating-storage complex, a unique facility for concentrating the energy flux of high-intensity beams of heavy ions in research on the physics of high energy density in matter.

Boris Sharkov is among the leading experts of scientific councils of institutes and societies: RAS, Rosatom State Corporation, Skolkovo Foundation, European Physical Society, Nuclear Society of the Russian Federation, a number of institute scientific councils; member of editorial boards of the journals "Atomic energy", "Nuclear fusion" (IAEA), deputy editor-in-chief of the journal "Laser and particle beams". He has given lecture courses "Current issues of thermonuclear fusion physics" and has prepared six Candidates and two Doctors of Sciences. He is the author and co-author of more than 200 scientific papers, including four monographs: "Physics of laser plasma multicharged ions" (1992), "Laser source of multicharged ions for accelerators" (1996), "Inertial confinement nuclear fusion - current state and prospects for power engineering" (2005), "Intense ion beams for generation of extreme states of matter" (2008). He is holder of three invention certificates.

Since 2022, he has been a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, an acting member of the Bureau of the Department of Physical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Currently, Boris Sharkov holds the positions of Special Representative of JINR Director for Cooperation with International and Russian Scientific Organizations, as well as of Advisor to Director of the National Centre for Physics and Mathematics (NCPM) in Sarov and of Co-Chairman of NCPM Science and Technology Council. He has made a decisive contribution to the development of the NCPM scientific cooperation that includes scientists from more than 50 scientific and educational centres of Russia, in the implementation of the mega-science project "Compton radiation source". As a professor of the Department of Theoretical Astrophysics and Thermonuclear Physics at MIPT and Head of the Department of Physics of Extreme States of Matter at MEPhI, he is engaged in teaching activities. In the research and organizational area, he widely defends the values of fundamental science, struggles for increasing the reputation of Russian science and the Russian Academy of Sciences in society and as Vice-President of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics - in the international level.

Boris Sharkov's outstanding scientific achievements have been recognized with numerous awards and prizes. He is a winner of the Russian Federation Government Prize in Science and Technology. He was awarded V.I.Veksler Prize of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the series of papers "Development of a system of supercharge injection and investigations of processes in non-Liouville accumulation of intense heavy ion beams at the ITEP-TWAC accelerating-storage facility". He was awarded the Presidential grant for the leader of the leading scientific school (2006, 2008), the Presidential scholarship for outstanding scientists (2004). He was awarded the Badge of Honor named after Academician I.V.Kurchatov of Rosatom State Corporation. Last year, he was awarded the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", II degree. He is Honorary Doctor of JINR.

Boris Sharkov's devotion to science, integrity, purposefulness, broad scientific outlook and incredible ability to work arouse the respect of his colleagues and is a warning to young scientists. At the same time, his attentive and friendly attitude to people, responsiveness to new ideas, optimism make him a pleasant interlocutor, a welcome guest, including on the pages of our newspaper.

We congratulate Boris Sharkov on his jubilee and wish him good health, prosperity and new creative achievements!

JINR Directorate