New leadership at Skoltech: Igor Shuvalov to chair Board of Trustees, Academician Yulia Gorbunova named Skoltech President

April 3, 2026

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees and the founding members of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, a new Chairman of the Skoltech Board of Trustees was appointed. The position was taken by Igor Shuvalov, Chairman of VEB.RF. Viktor Vekselberg was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Skoltech Board of Trustees. A new Skoltech President has also been confirmed: Academician Yulia Gorbunova, who previously headed the Faculty of Fundamental Physical and Chemical Engineering at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

“Skoltech is a unique institute within the VEB group. The foundation for the country’s future scientific and technological development is laid right here. In the current strategic cycle leading up to 2030, we are renewing its vision. Under the leadership of Academician Yulia Gorbunova, Skoltech is set to transform its educational model and integrate more closely into the national agenda of achieving technological leadership,” Shuvalov noted.

Yulia Gorbunova is a leading Russian chemist, author of over 550 scientific papers, and Leading Research Scientist at two institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences — the Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry and the Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry. She has been awarded the Second-Class Medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, is a recipient of the Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology, and is a Chevalier of the French Order of Academic Palms. She was elected Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences in 2022.

Yulia Gorbunova succeeds Alexander Safonov, who had been serving as Interim President following the completion of the term of Academician Alexander Kuleshov. Kuleshov, who led Skoltech since 2016, will now take on the position of Chief Designer of the Institute.

“Among the key priorities are work on strategic technological directions, coordination with institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and leading universities to address challenges important for the country, as well as establishing laboratories in partnership with world-class universities,” Gorbunova emphasized.

The appointment of new leadership at Skoltech is part of a large-scale transformation of the Institute, under which changes to the educational model and strengthening of human resources and scientific potential will become key objectives of the current development stage. The new leadership intends to turn Skoltech into an undisputed leader among the country’s technological universities — with deep integration into the system of scientific and educational institutions and the training of world-class personnel.