
Seisebayev Akhmetzhan Tleubayevich
Seisebayev Akhmetzhan Tleubayevich, Doctor of Biological Sciences, who encountered the most difficult period during which the Institute was being set up and formed, was the first Director of the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology, National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan (IRSEЭ).
In 1957 A.T. Seisebayev (01.01.1936 - 02.04.2017) graduated from the Agronomy Faculty of the State Kazakh Agriculture Institute (Alma-Ata city) and for 2 years worked as a chief agronomist in Ulytau state farm of Karaganda region. Then in 1959, he took the post-graduate course under the Institute of Botany AS Kazakh SSR.
In 1964 Akhmetzhan Tleubayevich defended a Candidate’s thesis on the subject “Comparative study of the impact of various factors on corn variability” majoring in Genetics. After defending А.Т. Seisebayev took the lead of a radiation cytogenetics laboratory of the Institute of Botany AS Kazakh SSR and headed it for 30 years. В 1969 awarded an academic title as a senior staff scientist majoring in Radiobiology.
In 1959–1992 A.T. Seisebayev was a Ph.D. student, a junior staff scientist, a senior staff scientist and a head of laboratory in the Institute of Botany, Institute of Nuclear physics and the Institute of Experimental Biology AS Kazakh SSR. In 1991 he defended a Ph.D thesis on the subject of “Modification of radiosensitivity and mutational variability in plants” majoring in Radiobiology and Genetics.
After Semipalatinsk Test Site (СИП) was shut down in 1992 Akhmetzhan Telubayevich was transferred to a newly established “National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, Kurchatov city. He was entrusted to set up the Institute of Radiation Safety and Ecology NNC RK. In such highly tough and strenuous conditions along with the development of a scientific line of the Institute, proper skills of an administrator and an economic executive had to be gained. A well coordinated team, consisting of the first Directors of the Institute on NNC RK headed by Gadlet Andiyanovich Batyrbekov, designed a Republican industrial scientific and technical program “Development of atomic energy in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, viability of which had been verified with time, and defined a strategic line for the Center and, respectively, for IRSE. This program had biological lines of research managed and supervised by A.T. Seisebayev. As a result of organizational, technical and creative activity Akhmetzhan Tleubayevich made a substantial contribution to organization and formation of the Institute.

Smagulov Samat Gabdrasilovich
In 1995 Smagulov Samat Gabdrasilovich was appointed to the position of the Director of the Institute (1995–1997).
S.G. Smagulov (14.07.1946 - 11.07.2014) was a retired colonel, Candidate of Technical Sciences . In 1970 Samat Gabdrasilovich graduated from Tomsk Polytechnic University majoring in “Radiation chemistry”. After graduation he was sent to the Service of Special Inspection of the Ministry of USSR Defense.
S.G. Smagulov worked at Semipalatinsk Test Site between 1970 and 1998 during frequent underground nuclear tests.
Between 1970 and 1975 he oversaw environmental radioactivity in order to identify nuclear debris of explosions conducted at other test sites; between 1975 and 1989 he was directly involved in over 100 nuclear tests; 1988 to 1994 – a chief of the Radiation Safety Service of Semipalatinsk Test Site. 1994 to 1995 he held the position of a Department head.
Being a Director S.G. Smagulov was actively engaged in defining IRSE scientific priorities and solving priority tasks as well as made a significant contribution to laborious and labour-intensive management of work on elimination of the entire infrastructure of nuclear weapon tests at STS that assisted in successfully and timely implemented international tripartite agreements of RK (Kazakhstan, Russia, the USA).
Samat Gabdrasilovich (in co-authorship) was awarded the RF Governmental Prize in science and technology (1996) for successfully completed operations on dismantling of the last nuclear charge at Semipalatinsk Test Site.
From S.G. Smagulov’s memories: “Nuclear and explosive technologies were designed and tried out so seriously like no others in the history of mankind. The Soviet nuclear program, reportedly, proved to be none the worse and largely even more effective than the American pioneer one. We have something to be proud of!” (S. Smagulov. Tokens of fate. Nuclear warhead test operator’s reminiscences. – Sarov, 2012. – 212 p.).

Akhmetov Murat Abdrashitovich
In June of 1997 Akhmetov Murat Abdrashitovich was appointed an IRSE director.
In 1975 M.A. Akhmetov (date of birth - April 4, 1953) graduated the Novosibirsk State University majoring in Physics, Candidate of Technical Sciences (2001). Being the chief of the RK Atomic Energy Agency Department he first came to Kurchatov in November of 1993 along with the first IAEA’s mission to the test site.
Later M.A. Akhmetov would repeatedly come to Kurchatov to accompany foreign and international expert teams as well as to participate in research projects and conferences.
Over the period of working as a Director he showed profound expertise, scrupulously gained insight into a task that was set and soon found optimal ways of solution. Since Murat Abdrashitovich correctly and clearly set tasks and being at the same time an intellectual with a big heart, he was easy to work with.
In M.A. Akhmetov’s time radioecological, medical and biological studies continued, natural environment was being restored and health of people was being recovered in regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan where explosions were conducted and there were enterprises of atomic industry and facilities.
Under Murat Abdrashitovich’s guidance, the Institute began the first areal research into test site territory. First of all it concerned the central part along radioactive plumes passing from venues of atmospheric tests in southern and south-eastern directions and then the staff proceeded with research into the southern part of the test site. That was the territory of the Abralinsk region in the south of STS of 1,332 km2. Afterwards, there were environmental measures developed and implemented for radioactively contaminated areas, suggestions to use those areas in the national economy.
While heading IRSE NNC RK, M.A. Akhmetov made a significant contribution to work management on elimination of nuclear weapons infrastructure at STS which assisted in successfully and timely implemented RK international agreements. For a great personal contribution to nuclear tests remediation in Kazakhstan he was awarded a “Yeren yenbegi ushin” medal on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the test site closure (August 27, 2001).

Larisa Denisovna Ptitskaya
In 2002, the Institute was taken over by Larisa Denisovna Ptitskaya.
L.D. Ptitskaya (date of birth - February 23, 1941) started her labour activity in 1967 as an engineer of “Kazgidromet” enterprise right after graduation from the Kazakh State University. After 2 years she became the head of supervisory service for radioactive contamination of the natural environment in the territory of Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
In 1986 for her conscientious work L.D. Ptitskaya was awarded a USSR national decoration – a “For Distinguished labour” medal and in 1991 she was awarded a “Labour Veteran” medal. Besides, Larisa Denisovna was involved in remediation of the Chernobyl NPP accident.
In 1995 Larisa Denisovna, as an experienced specialist in radioecology, was employed by NNC RK to the position of an IRSE Deputy Director for Science, then transferred to the position of a Director.
Larisa Denisovna was a scientific and research supervisor in radioecology for the territory of the former Semipalatinsk Test Site, an executive officer for assessment of radioecological situation all over the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a project manager as part of the INTAS program. In her time the Republican budget program “STS. Radiation Safety Assurance” began. For the last 3 years of 17 that she had worked, she was a Deputy Director for Radiation Safety Assurance at Semipalatinsk Test Site.
Under the guidance of L.D. Ptitskaya a methodical hardware basis was created and introduced. The basis allows to get down to radiochemical and gamma-spectrometric analyses and above all start determining isotopes of weapon-grade plutonium in samples collected. At the same time a new team of young specialists was being formed for radioecological research. A great attention was given to advanced training. Biological research began.
Apart from radioecological research, L.D. Ptitskaya contributed a lot to elimination of military infrastructure in the STS territory. She was directly involved in defense of the Ministry of Ecology prepared by the Environmental Impact Assessment Institute to destroy 181 tunnels, a few dozens of boreholes and consequences of “Omega” experiments. Larisa Denisovna supervised scientific and research programs under INTAS and ISTC.

Lukashenko Sergey Nikolayevich
In 2006 Sergey Nikolayevich Lukashenko was appointed a Deputy Director General for Radioecology, National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan as well as an IRSE Director.
In 1986 S.N. Lukashenko (date of birth – December 14, 1962) graduated from the Lensovet Leningrad Institute (Technical University), engineering physics and chemistry faculty majoring in “Radiaiton Chemistry”. In 1986 he was sent to the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INP) of the Kazakh SSR Academy of Sciences and placed on the radioactive isotope laborator.
Sergey Nikolayevich worked in the laboratory until 1997 from being a lab-assistant to a junior staff scientist. In 1997 he was appointed a head of Applied Nuclear Physics Department (ANPD), the Institute of Nuclear Physics and held this position as long as 2006. Over that period with S.N. Lukashenko directly involved a new laboratory for low-background measurements was established (LLM) which he headed until 2006.
After being assigned to the position of the Deputy Director General for Radioecology NNC RK Sergey Nikolayevich was also charged with Institute management.
Over the period S.N. Lukashenko worked the Institute expanded its scope of activities including such areas as development of individual dosimetry methods, development of new methods to determine internal exposure doses, development of new methods for radioactive waste treatment. S.N. Lukashenko also greatly contributed to proficiency of Institute’s young scientists.
Under the guidance of Sergey Nikolayevich, the Institute began large-scale radiobiological and radioecological research. The first full-scale experiments were set up in the territory of Semipalatinsk Test Site (STS). Methodological approaches were developed and scientifically justified for assessing contamination levels of aquatic environment, air basin, vegetation cover based on regularities of artificial radionuclides transfer in “water-bottom sediments”, soil-air”, “soil-vegetation cover” systems and numerical parameters obtained to characterize these regularities.
An experimental and theoretical assessment of the quality of farm products produced at STS was made and the possibility to produce it with a guaranteed quality in terms of radiation was proved. In 2016 S.N. Lukashenko defended a doctoral thesis (Doctor of Biological Sciences) “Radioecological justification to return areas of Semipalatinsk Test Site to the economic use: fundamental and applied aspects”.