Oleg Plekhov

Director of Perm Federal Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 13a Lenina St., 614000, Perm, Russia

Plekhov Oleg Anatolyevich – Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), professor RAS, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, a scientist in the field of mechanics of deformable solids. His primary research interests are related to the thermodynamics of plastic deformation and fracture processes in structural materials.

Website: https://permsc.ru/en

Education and Career:

  • 1991– Graduated with a silver medal from Lyceum No. 1 at Perm Polytechnic Institute.
  • 1996– Graduated with honors from Perm State Technical University.
  • 1997–present– Held positions as engineer, junior researcher, researcher, senior researcher, and head of the laboratory at the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics, UB RAS.
  • 2000– Defended Thesis (Ph.D.): "Modeling Nonlinear Dynamics of Cracks and Localized Fracture in Loading Waves."
  • 2009– Defended Thesis (Habilitation, D.Sc.): "Structural-Kinetic Mechanisms of Deformation and Fracture in Coarse-Grained and Submicrocrystalline Materials."
  • 2014– Appointed Deputy Director for Research at the Institute of Continuous Media Mechanics, UB RAS.
  • 2016– Awarded the title of Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
  • 2022–present– Director of the Perm Federal Research Center, UB RAS.
  • 2022: Earned an MBAfrom the Institute of Business Studies, The Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).
  • 2022: Elected Corresponding Member of RASand appointed to the Presidium of UB RAS.

Research & Activities:

Author of over 350 scientific publications (as of 2025: 370 in Russian Science Citation Index, h-index 21), including 179 international publications (Scopus/WoS, h-index 18). Presented research at national and international conferences on solid mechanics.

  • Conducted a comprehensive study of on energy storage and dissipation processes in metals under deformation and failure, yielding novel findings on the dissipative and strength properties of advanced nanostructured materials.
  • Developed innovative methodologies for rapid fatigue limit assessment and investigated fracture mechanisms in the gigacycle fatigue regime.
  • Developed Russia’s first robotic complexfor laser shock peening, enabling advanced studies on laser-matter interaction. Applied findings to enhance fatigue resistance in aerospace alloys.
  • Pioneered infrared thermographyin Russia for energy dissipation studies. Created a method for analyzing heat source evolution during deformation and fracture. Expanded applications to interdisciplinary fields, including medical diagnostics.
  • Conducted experimental and theoretical studies on stress concentration zones under dynamic loading.
  • Advanced understanding of gigacycle fatiguein metals. Developed experimental techniques for defect accumulation analysis, with applications in aviation and defense industries.
  • Formulated new energy balance relationsfor deformation and fracture. Enhanced structural-energy theory, enabling 3D modeling of crack propagation and energy dissipation.
  • Recent work focuses on mechanical behavior modeling of frozen soils, supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research. Implemented innovative monitoring systems for ice-rock barriers in Russia and abroad.

Achievements:

  • Research internships at Karlsruhe Research Center (Germany), LAMEF-ENSAM (Bordeaux, France), Polytechnic University of Turin (Italy), University of Sheffield (Sheffield, UK).
  • 2024: Elected member of the Indian Structural Integrity Society.
  • Member of the Russian National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics.
  • Deputy Chair of Dissertation Council D 004.036.01; member of councils D 004.036.02and D 212.188.08.
  • Expert for RAS, RFBR, and NII RINKTsE.
  • Member of the Russian Science Foundation’s Expert Council.

Organizational Work:

  • Trains researchers, engineers, and educators. Teaches courses:
    • "Fracture Mechanics" (Perm National Research Polytechnic University)
    • "Mathematical Modeling in Materials Science"(Perm National Research Polytechnic University)
    • "Modern Methods of Thermomechanical Field Analysis" (Perm National Research Polytechnic University)
    • "Dynamic Material Behavior"(Perm National Research Polytechnic University)
    • "Selected Topics in Continuum Mechanics"(Perm State University)
  • Supervised 4 Ph.D. students; currently mentors 4 postgraduate researchers.
  • Participated in the development the organization's development program.Perm Federal Research Center UB RAS  (2017) and the Rational Subsoil Use World-Class Scientific-Educational Center (2019).
  • Participated as leading scientist in the "Hypersonics"research center (the program for the creation of a world-class scientific center of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation).
  • 2018: Co-founded the Russian ESIS Committee(European Structural Integrity Society).

Editorial Roles:

  • Editorial board member of:
    • Fracture and Structural Integrity(WoS)
    • Diagnostics, Resource and Mechanics of Materials and Structures
    • Geosystems of Transition Zones
    • Bulletin of the Perm Federal Research Center

Honors & Awards:

  • 2017: First-degree Perm Krai Prizefor outstanding work in physical-mathematical sciences.
  • 2024: Award from the Indian Structural Integrity Society.