Moscow Engineering and Physics Institute (MIFI or MEPhI)

This page is part of the Facilities Collection.

Established in 1942 by Soviet atomic bomb program director Igor Kurchatov, MIFI has grown into a premier institute for the study of nuclear engineering and nuclear physics. ¹ The university conducts research and development in support of and by the Russian federal government. The main research areas include general and nuclear physics, nuclear technologies and engineering, physical and technical problems of energy, and fuel and energy. ²

MIFI departments house a nuclear research reactor, radiation-accelerator center, and other research laboratories. Built in 1967 for educational, training, and research purposes, the Atomic Center research reactor is a pool-type IRT research reactor, which has been deemed suitable for conversion to LEU fuel. ³ The IRT-MIFI reactor holds partnerships with many foreign research institutions and U.S. nuclear laboratories, including Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Sandia, Brookhaven, and Pacific Northwest. ⁴ The Radiation-Acceleration Center is devoted to new sources of ionizing radiation, and studying the effects of radiation. Originally established for preparation to enter Soviet military or nuclear programs, MIFI still maintains close research and business relationships with the Russian defense and nuclear industries.

In partnership with Rosatom, and to enhance safety and security at Russian nuclear facilities, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration assisted in creating degree programs for Materials Protection Control and Accounting in 1996. MIFI was a key developer of the MPC&A degree program, and has since awarded several such degrees. ^{5 6}