Moscow Engineering Physics Institute

Moscow Engineering Physics Institute
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) is a public technical university in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1942 as the Moscow Mechanical Institute of Munitions, but was soon renamed the Moscow Mechanical Institute. Its original mission was to train skilled personnel for the Soviet military and Soviet atomic bomb project. It was renamed the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute in 1953, which was its name until 2009.
By the Order of the Government of Russia on April 8, 2009 (#480-r) on behalf of Russian President's Decree of October 7, 2008 (#1448) "On the pilot project launching on creating National Research Universities" MEPhI was granted this new status. The university was reorganized. The aim of the university existence is now preparing the specialists by giving them higher professional, post-graduation professional, secondary professional and additional professional education, as well as educational and scientific activities.
In 2022, QS World University rankings rated the university #308 in the world, World University Rankings by Times Higher Education ranked the university #401 in the world, and in 2023 U.S. News & World Report rated the university #483 in the world.
Academics
Today, MEPhI has nine main departments (faculties or institutes):
Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering
Institute for Laser and Plasma Technologies
Institute of Engineering Physics for Biomedicine
Institute of Nanoengineering in Electronics, Spintronics and Photonics
Institute of Cyber Intelligence Systems
Institute of Financial and Economic Security
Institute of International Relations
Faculty of Physics and Technology
Faculty of Business Informatics and Complex Systems Management
The university offers bachelor, masters (and similar degree 'Specialist'), and post-graduate degrees in physics, mathematics, computer science and other areas. MEPhI facilities include a 2.5 MW (thermal) pool-type research reactor and Neutrino Water Detector NEVOD. The university has about 35,000 students at branches in Moscow and other towns. In Moscow are around 7,500 students (including over 1300 foreigners). It normally takes 4 – 5.5 (some sub-departments take six) years for a student to graduate from MEPhI. The curriculum of the first two years consists exclusively of required courses (core), with emphasis on mathematics, physics, experimental work and English. After the two first years of studying students on a competition basis enroll in the sub-departments which specialize in different branches of physics, computer science, information security, mathematics, etc.
Rankings
In 2022, QS World University rankings rated the university #308 in the world, World University Rankings by Times Higher Education ranked the university #401 in the world, and in 2023 U.S. News & World Report rated the university #483 in the world.
Student population
The student population is predominantly male. During the first years from MEPhI's foundation there was a ban against accepting women. In recent years this situation has changed.
Location
It is a 15-minute walk (or a five-minute bus ride) from the university to the Kashirskaya station on the Zamoskvoretskaya Line of the Moscow Metro.
Online resources
During 2016–18 MEPhI increased its presence in online educational platforms, namely Coursera, edX, Universarium and CLP4NET. By the end of 2018, MEPhI had provided 43 courses via those platforms, including 25 on Coursera and 11 on edX. In 2018, the number of students that joined MEPhI's online courses on the online platforms reached approximately 160,000 persons from 150 countries.
Notable people
Nicolay Gennadiyevich Basov – Nobel Prize
Pavel Cherenkov – Nobel Prize
Ilya Mikhailovich Frank – Nobel Prize
Andrey Dmitrievich Sakharov – Nobel Prize
Nikolay Nikolayevich Semyonov – Nobel Prize
Igor Tamm – Nobel Prize
Mukhtar Ablyazov – leader "Democratic choice of Kazakhstan", former minister of Energy, Industry and Trade in Kazakhstan (21 April 1998 – October 1999)
Lev Artsimovich – known as "the father of the Tokamak"
Sergei Avdeyev – engineer and cosmonaut, record for time spent in space: 747.59 days
Alexander Mikhajlovich Baldin
Anatoly Ivanovich Larkin
Alexander Balankin
Anatoly Stepanovich Dyatlov – physicist
Igor Kurchatov
Lev Gor'kov
Evgenii Feinberg
Yuri Oganessian – element 118 in Periodic Table named oganesson in his honor
Lev Okun
Igor Irodov – author of a series of handbooks on general physics.
Dmitry Kholodov – Journalist who investigated corruption in the military and was assassinated on 17 October 1994
Isaak Pomeranchuk
Vyacheslav Starshinov – Olympic champion, world champion
Elena Vesna – psychologist and Vice-Rector of Educational Affairs.
Leonid Toptunov - senior reactor control chief engineer at Chernobyl
References
External links
English language and Russian language official website of National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)
National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute) Profile on the official website StudyInRussia
Universities and institutes established in the Soviet Union
National research universities in Russia
Universities and colleges established in 1942
1942 establishments in the Soviet Union
Nuclear research institutes in Russia
Research institutes in the Soviet Union
Nuclear technology in the Soviet Union