Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia. Biography

Valery Falkov was born on October 18, 1978 in Tyumen. The father of the future minister worked in the district administration, and his mother was a nurse. Valery spent his childhood and youth in the village of Novozelenovo in the Kazan region of the Tyumen region. There he studied at a local school, emphasizing Russian language and literature, which served as the basis for his future love of books and science.

Education and early career

After graduating from high school in 1995, Valery entered the Institute of State and Law of Tyumen State University (TSU) with a degree in Jurisprudence. He continued his postgraduate studies at the same educational institution. He holds a PhD in Law. His dissertation was devoted to the topic of improving the legal regulation of election campaigns in Russia. Immediately after completing his postgraduate studies, Falkov stayed at TSU to continue his research and work at his native university.

Work at Tyumen State University

In his academic career, Valery Falkov rose from student to university rector, becoming the youngest rector in the history of Russia at the age of 34. He has devoted more than 20 years to the university, bringing many innovations and transformations. His colleagues highly appreciated him as a bright and effective leader capable of developing a modern university. Before becoming rector in 2013, Falkov held various positions at TSU: Deputy Head of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law, Vice-Rector for Continuing Education, Director of the Institute of Law, Economics and Management. He also became chairman of the Council of Young Scientists of the Tyumen region and headed the Council of Rectors of universities in the region.

Political career

In 2006, Valery Falkov joined the electoral commission of the Tyumen region with the right to a decisive vote. In 2013, he was elected a deputy of the Tyumen City Duma, and also became a member of the regional political council of the United Russia party. A few years later, in 2018, he joined the Presidential Council for Science and Education, and in 2020, the working group on the preparation of a package of amendments to the Constitution. He turned out to be one of the lawyers who had to formulate the essence of the amendments to the basic law. This became an important stage in his political career.

Minister of Science and Education of Russia

On January 21, 2020, President Vladimir Putin appointed the rector of Tyumen State University as the new Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia. He replaced Mikhail Kotyukov in this position and assumed the most important tasks within the framework of the national projects "Science" and "Education". During his leadership, Falkov has focused on modernizing the educational system and supporting scientific research, as well as working to improve the quality of higher education in the country. One of his important achievements was the adaptation of the higher education system in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the integration of universities in new regions into the Russian education system.

Titles and awards

In 2023, Falkov was awarded the Lawyer of the Year Award in the Legal Education category. In 2024, he was awarded a Certificate of Honor from the President of the Russian Federation for special services in the field of science and education. In May 2025, by presidential decree, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The high achievements of the scientist are also recognized by the professional community. Since March 2012, he has been Deputy Chairman of the regional branch of the All-Russian public organization The Association of Lawyers of Russia.

Personal life

According to information from open sources, Valery Falkov is married and has two adult sons. In his free time, he actively plays sports, goes out into nature and supports school search teams. In an interview, the minister said that hunting was once his hobby, but with his career growth he lost interest in this occupation.