The Institute was founded by Academician Igor Kurchatov and was given his name after his death in 1960. Kurchatov is credited with founding the nuclear industry in Russia, including its atomic weapons effort and the development of nuclear reactors for both civilian and naval purposes. The Institute took the lead in developing fusion in the early 1950s under the direction of Academicians Lev Artsimovich and Mikhail Leontovich. Kurchatov Institute scientist Igor Golovin began working in fusion in 1950 and is credited with invented the term "tokamak" (meaning toroidal magnetic chamber) to describe the experiment he built there in 1955.

Today the Centre has broadened its research well beyond weapons, nuclear fission and fusion. It is a center of excellence in such areas as high energy physics, nanotechnology, biotechnology and information sciences.

Yevgeny P. Velikhov, who also spearheaded the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project and who has been chair of the ITER Council, is President of the Russian National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute". Congratulations may be sent to him and his colleagues at Velikhov@mac.com