press release 19.01.2015
The renowned cosmonaut and rocket scientist Sergei Krikalev was appointed Professor of Practice at the Skoltech Space Center on January 19, 2015.
Dr. Krikalev, who had spent more time in space than any other astronaut in history and participated in six shuttle missions and trips to the international space station with NASA and Roscosmos (the Russian Space Agency), has already left an indelible impression on masters’ students attending the “Space Sector” course at Skoltech when he gave a guest talk in September 2014. Sergei Krikalev will promote the development of new educational courses and research programs for students and research staff at the Moscow-based technology, science and innovation university, which was established in collaboration with MIT in 2011.
Sergei Krikalev visited Skoltech at september 2014 – now he begins as tenure as A Professor of the Practice with the Moscow-based tech and science university.
Edward Crawley, the president of Skoltech: “Sergey Krikalev is one of the most distinguished explorers of space in our history, and by virtue of his leadership at the Cosmonuats Training Center near Moscow. He is one of the most experienced engineers, educators and planners in the field. We are excited that Sergei takes up the position of professor of the practice of human spaceflight at Skoltech. Now a distinguished practitioner can work closely with our scientists, students and innovators.”
Krikalev commented that “it is no secret that many of the interesting ideas in this industry are developed by young researchers. This is why I think the interaction with Skoltech is particularly important in several ways. First we need to transfer our own experience to the university students, and enable them to effectively develop the space industry. Moreover, there is the innovative interaction between the students and university professors. This is something we cherish and focus on here at Skoltech.
Thirdly, I’d like to practically implement a number of ideas that have been discussed for a while in industry and scientific circles. These are such issues as spacecraft manipulation, interaction between humans and complex engineering systems, the design and creation of man-machine interfaces. I cannot wait to begin.”
Media Contacts – Alexander Zolotarev, 8 916 686 7334,
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is a private graduate research university in Skolkovo, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. Established in 2011 in collaboration with MIT, Skoltech will educate global leaders in innovation, advance scientific knowledge, and foster new technologies to address critical issues facing Russia and the world. Applying international research and educational models, the university integrates the best Russian scientific traditions with twenty-first century entrepreneurship and innovation.
Contact information:
Skoltech Communications
+7 (495) 280 14 81
