The ceremony occurred on February 8th, the Russian Science Day.

Rector Gafurov was elected Academician in economics and management. His Doctor of Sciences dissertation (presented in 2005) was dedicated to territorial industrial development concepts. Dr. Gafurov has over 70 publications in peer-reviewed journals.

Upon receiving the credentials yesterday he said, “That’s a recognition for our University. Last year was really special because I was also elected to the Russian Academy of Education. I thus represent an integrational link between the two academies”.

The Social and Economic Sciences Division of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences currently has 14 main research areas, one of which is cooperation between academia and industry. President of the Academy Myakzyum Salakhov emphasized the importance of this particular research. Minister of Education and Science of Tatarstan Engel Fattakhov concurred.

Rector Gafurov was not the only representative of KFU upon whom the honor was bestowed. Several other distinguished employees were elected: Professor Albert Rizvanov (the Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology), Professor Ilfan Bikmaev (Chair of the Department of Astronomy and Space Geodesy), Professor Murat Tagirov (Chair of the Department of Quantum Electronics and Radio Spectroscopy), Professor Marat Arslanov (Chair of the Department of Algebra and Mathematical Logic), Professor Kamil Galiullin (Leading Research Associate of the Clinical Linguistics Lab), and Professor Ayrat Sitdikov (Director of the Higher School of History and World Cultural Heritage). This sizable group of successful researchers stands as proof of the University’s rapid development as a comprehensive knowledge institution.