Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute, was awarded the title Hero of Labor

Russian President Vladimir Putin awarded the title Hero of Labor to Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center. The relevant document was published on the official Internet portal of legal information on August 4.

According to the text of the decree, Kovalchuk was awarded the honorary title for his special services to the development of Russian science and many years of fruitful work.

The President of the Kurchatov Institute Scientific Research Center will turn 80 on September 21. Kovalchuk is a leading scientist in the field of X-ray physics, nanodiagnostics and crystallography. His research using synchrotron radiation made it possible to turn X-ray methods into a tool for studying the surface structure and determining the position of individual atoms. The physicist's work also laid the foundation for the standing X-ray wave method, which is important for the study of nanosystems.

The scientist graduated from the Physics Department of Leningrad State University and is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. From 2005 to 2010, he served as director of the Kurchatov Institute, a Russian research center, and has been the center's president since 2015. Kovalchuk will turn 80 on September 21.

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On the same day, Putin awarded pop singer Nikolai Baskov with the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. It was noted that the order was awarded for merits in the field of culture and art, as well as for many years of fruitful activity. Baskov was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia in 2009.