On 13 August 2025, the JINR Mir Cultural Centre hosted the opening of a photo exhibition dedicated to the centenary of the birth of the outstanding scientist, Professor, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics Yuri Alexandrovich Shcherbakov, an experimental physicist who spent more than 40 years working at the Dzhelepov Laboratory of Nuclear Problems and was a long-time JINR Chief Scientific Secretary.

Photos by Daria Konova

The exhibition covers the key stages of Yuri Alexandrovich’s life and research endeavours, from his school years and his wartime experience to his participation in major international projects and work for the benefit of science and the city of Dubna.

JINR Vice-Director, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Kekelidze, DLNP Director Evgeny Yakushev, Scientific Leader of the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at JINR, Academician Yuri Oganessian, Head of the JINR Social Infrastructure Management Office Andrey Tamonov, and the scientist’s colleagues, friends, and relatives gave welcome speeches.

“The people of that time returned from the war and had to re-learn how to live. We studied side by side: they, just back from the frontline, and us, fresh out of school,” Yuri Oganessian noted of the generation to which Yuri Shcherbakov belonged. “I remember Yuri Alexandrovich as an extremely versatile, talented, and intelligent man”.

The scientist’s son, Yaroslav Shcherbakov, emphasised: “My father was a man of literally encyclopedic knowledge. He would carry library books in a net. He was the source of much of my knowledge and our role model both in work and in family life. He somehow made time for everything”.

“I only worked with him for a year. He was the one who hired me, and I consider that a great luck. He was a bright, enthusiastic person with a constant thirst for knowledge. He taught me and my colleagues how to advocate for our views and protect our interests. He will forever remain in my memory and in the memory of those who worked with him,” Yuri Alexandrovich’s colleague Tamara Ivashkevich reminisced.

According to Head of the DLNP Scientific Communications Group Elena Dubovik, what inspired the creation of the exhibition was the love that the son of the researher had for his father and the wish to tell his story to people.

While answering a question about personal memories related to the exhibition, Yaroslav Shcherbakov noted: “Half of the exhibition consists of photographs of the people I know, of my relatives. Our life is captured here. My parents’ photos are especially dear to me – they remind me of the days we spent together”.

The items include rare pictures , personal belongings, documents, and awards of Yuri Alexandrovich, providing insight into the scope of his activities and achievements. His work as a researcher over the years led to significant progress in studies in nuclear physics, the development of unique equipment, and the strengthening of international scientific relations.

The hadron-nuclear interaction specialists he trained successfully conducted research in a number of JINR Member States, and his lectures and organizational activities contributed to the education of an entire generation of young scientists.

Yuri Alexandrovich Shcherbakov, renowned for his scientific talent, innovative mind, significant social contributions, and profound vitality, will never be forgotten by his colleagues and friends, as well as Dubna residents.