Foundation and Development of the Institute

Chronology of Development

Background

Listed below are the main events that are, to some degree, connected with the creation of the Ioffe Institute and the associated educational system.

29(17) October 1880	Abram Fedorovich Ioffe, the future founder and first director of the Physics and Technology Institute, now bearing his name, is born in the town of Romny, Poltava Governorate.
1907–1912	P. Ehrenfest's physics circle operates in St. Petersburg, with participation from future renowned scientists: A.F. Ioffe, V.R. Bursian, Yu.A. Krutkov, M.A. Levitskaya, V.F. Mitkevich, A.A. Fridman, and others.
28 October 1915	1915: A.F. Ioffe becomes a full professor at the Petrograd Polytechnic Institute.
1915	Professor M.I. Nemenov proposes to the Medical Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs the creation of a research institute for work in the fields of roentgenology and radiology.
1916	Professors of the Polytechnic Institute A.F. Ioffe and S.P. Timoshenko propose the idea of creating a new faculty at the institute for the targeted training of specialists in physics, technical physics, and applied mechanics.
1916	A physics seminar begins operating at the Polytechnic Institute under the leadership of A.F. Ioffe, with participation from future key staff members of the Ioffe Institute and renowned scientists: P.L. Kapitsa, N.N. Semenov, Ya.I. Frenkel, P.I. Lukirsky, and others.

1918–1940

September–October1918	On the initiative of Professors M.I. Nemenov and A.F. Ioffe, the State Roentgenological and Radiological Institute (SRRI) is established under the People's Commissariat for Education of the RSFSR. The institute consists of three divisions, one of which – the Physics and Technology Division – is considered the progenitor of the current Ioffe Institute, and September 23, 1918 (the day the corresponding decree was signed) is considered its birthday. On October 24, 1918, A.F. Ioffe is elected the first president of the SRRI and also heads its Physics and Technology Division.
29 November 1921	By decree of the Petrograd Administration of Scientific Institutions of the Academic Center of the People's Commissariat for Education, the Physics and Technology Division is separated from the SRRI and, as of January 1, 1922, becomes an independent organization under the name State Physics and Technology and Roentgenological Institute (SPTRI). Academician A.F. Ioffe is appointed director of the SPTRI.
1923	Mechanical and glassblowing workshops are established. The former are headed by V.N. Dynkov, the latter by N.G. Mikhailov.
4 February 1923	Grand opening of the new building of the SPTRI. This is now the main building of the Ioffe Institute (26 Politekhnicheskaya St.). Previously, the SPTRI was located in the premises of the Polytechnic Institute.
1924	Research on cosmic rays begins under the leadership of D.V. Skobeltsyn.
1924	Research expands in the direction of "Applications of Atomic Physics to Chemical Phenomena," led by N.N. Semenov.
6 November 1924	Decree of the Scientific and Technical Department (NTD) of the Supreme Council of the National Economy (SCNE) of the USSR on the establishment, under the leadership of A.F. Ioffe, of the Central Physics and Technology Laboratory (CPTL) under the SCNE to carry out work on implementing the results of scientific and technical research.
1925	The Department of Strength Physics is established, headed by N.N. Davidenkov.
1925–1930	The CPTL is successively renamed the Leningrad Physics and Technology Laboratory, the State Physics and Technology Laboratory, and finally, on February 28, 1930, the State Physics and Technology Institute (SPTI) under the SCNE.
February 1931	Merger of the SPTRI and the SPTI into the State Physics and Technology Institute under the SCNE. The SCNE decree is signed by G.K. Ordzhonikidze on May 10, 1931.
12 September 1931	A decree of the Central Control Commission of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) - People's Commissariat of Workers' and Peasants' Inspection is issued, according to which, as of January 1, 1932, the SPTI is radically reorganized – three of its departments are granted the status of institutes, united into a Combine of Physics and Technology Institutes, headed by A.F. Ioffe. Thus, the newly formed Combine includes the Physics and Technology Institute (headed by A.F. Ioffe), the Electrophysical Institute (headed by A.A. Chernyshev), and the Institute of Chemical Physics (headed by N.N. Semenov). The Combine is part of the system of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry of the Council of People's Commissars and exists for less than two years.
1932	Laboratories for the study of the atomic nucleus, headed by I.V. Kurchatov, and for semiconductor physics, headed by A.F. Ioffe, are established. The Theoretical Physics Office is transformed into the Theoretical Department (headed by Ya.I. Frenkel).
23 November 1933	By order of the Central Scientific Research Council of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry, the activities of the Combine are terminated, and three independent institutes are separated from it: the Leningrad Physics and Technology Institute (LPTI, director A.F. Ioffe), the Electrophysical Institute (director A.A. Chernyshev), and the Institute of Chemical Physics (director N.N. Semenov).
1934	Beginning of theoretical and practical work on radar (supervisors D.A. Rozhansky and Yu.B. Kobzarev).
1936	Beginning of work on protecting Navy ships from magnetic mines and torpedoes (supervisor A.P. Alexandrov).
5 March 1938	A letter from LPTI staff, led by A.F. Ioffe, is dated, addressed to the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, V.M. Molotov, on the need to develop the experimental base for nuclear research.
28 May 1939	By decree of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the institute is incorporated into the Academy of Sciences.

1941–1970

21 June 1941	The act for the commissioning of the institute's cyclotron laboratory building is signed on this day.
August 1941	Due to the outbreak of the war and the threat of the siege of Leningrad, part of the institute's laboratories are evacuated to Kazan. The Kazan group works under the leadership of A.F. Ioffe. The laboratories remaining in Leningrad are directed by P.P. Kobeko.
14 August 1943	By order of A.F. Ioffe, Laboratory No. 2 is established within the Kazan group of the Ioffe Institute, with I.V. Kurchatov appointed as its head.
February 1945	The laboratories evacuated to Kazan return to Leningrad.
1946	Research on isotope separation begins within the framework of the USSR Atomic Project (120 out of 200 institute staff members are involved).
November 1946	The LPTI cyclotron, the largest in the country, is commissioned.
8 December 1950	By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, A.F. Ioffe is relieved of his duties as director of the Ioffe Institute. Academician of the Ukrainian SSR Academy of Sciences A.P. Komar becomes the director of the institute.
31 March 1952	By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Semiconductor Laboratory, headed by A.F. Ioffe, is established within the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
December 1952	By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a special laboratory is created at the Ioffe Institute to conduct research in the fields of rocketry and gas dynamics (supervisor Yu.A. Dunaev).
1953	On the recommendation of V.M. Dukelsky, the Laboratory of Atomic Collisions is established at the institute.
5 November 1954	By decision of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Semiconductor Laboratory is transformed into the Institute of Semiconductors (ISAN).
1 April 1955	The Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences appoints A.F. Ioffe as director of ISAN.
1956	Construction of the VVR-M reactor begins and a branch of the LPTI is established in Gatchina (Leningrad region), where nuclear physics research is transferred (scientific supervisor D.M. Kaminker).
April–November 1957	The process of transferring the directorship of the LPTI from A.P. Komar to B.P. Konstantinov takes place. On November 15, 1957, by decree of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences B.P. Konstantinov is appointed director of the LPTI.
December1959	First physical start-up of the VVR-M reactor at the Gatchina branch of the LPTI.
14 October 1960	Academician A.F. Ioffe, founder and first director of the Ioffe Institute, passes.
3 December 1960	By decree No. 1237 of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, the LPTI is named after A.F. Ioffe.
1967	First physical start-up of the synchrocyclotron at the Gatchina branch of the LPTI.
19 April 1967	By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the institute is awarded the Order of Lenin.
May 1967	Academician B.P. Konstantinov leaves the post of institute director due to his election as Vice-President of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His successor is Professor V.M. Tuchkevich.

July 1971 ISAN is merged into the LPTI, and the Gatchina branch is separated into an independent institute – the Leningrad Institute of Nuclear Physics (now the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute named after B.P. Konstantinov). 1980 Launch of the largest in its series tokamak, TUMAN-3. July 1987 Academician V.M. Tuchkevich leaves the post of institute director. His successor is Academician Zhores I. Alferov. 1989 Thematically oriented scientific divisions are created at the institute. июль 1998 The Ioffe Institute Scientific and Educational Center (Ioffe SEC) is established, operating from 1998 to 2003 with the status of an institute division. 1999 First physical start-up of the Globus-M spherical tokamak. октябрь 2000 The director of the institute, Academician Zhores I. Alferov, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the creation and development of semiconductor heterostructures, "that have laid the foundation for modern information technology.". май 2003Academician Zhores I. Alferov leaves the post of institute director. His successor is Professor A.G. Zabrodskii. July 2003 The Ioffe SEC is separated from the institute. 30 December 2013 By Government Decree No. 2591-r, the Ioffe Institute, together with all research organizations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is subordinated to a new agency – the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (FASO Russia). January 2018 Academician A.G. Zabrodskii leaves the post of institute director. Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences S.V. Lebedev becomes Acting Director. 15 May 2018 In accordance with Decree No. 215 of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 15, 2018, "On the Structure of Federal Executive Bodies," and Government Decree No. 1293-r dated June 27, 2018, the Institute is transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. September 2018 Professor, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences S.V. Ivanov becomes Acting Director. August 2019 Professor, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences S.V. Ivanov is confirmed in the position of institute director.