On June 28 and 29 the General Meeting of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS) elected the President, Vice President, Academician-Secretary, elected and approved the Academician-Secretaries of  the Scientific Divisions and elected the members of the Presidium of NAS.
    Academician Ashot Saghyan, the director of the Scientific and Production Center "Armbiotechnology" of NAS, was elected to the post of the President of NAS RA. Ashot Saghyan was born in 1957 in the Chapar village of Mardakert region of the NKR. In 1978 he graduated with honors from the Faculty of Chemistry of YSU. 1980-1984 he continued his studies at the target graduate school of the Institute of Elementorganic Compounds after  A.Nesmeyanov of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Ashot Saghyan defended his candidate's dissertation in 1985, and his doctoral dissertation in 1996. In 2006 he was elected a corresponding member of NAS, in 2010 - an academician of NAS. His research interests include stereoselective catalysis, asymmetric biomimetic synthesis of amino acids, isolation and purification of biologically active compounds. Ashot Saghyan is the author of about 350 scientific articles, 2 textbooks, 2 monographs.
    Ashot Saghyan worked at the Charentsavan branch of the national Institute of Genetics and Breeding of the Ministry of Medical and Microbiological Industry of the USSR, and then at the Scientific Research Technological Institute of Amino Acids, renamed after the collapse of the USSR as CJSC “Research Institute of Biotechnology” included in the Ministry of Economy of the RA, in 2000 he was appointed the director of the institute. In 2010 he was elected the director of the Scientific and Production Center “Armbiotechnology” SNCO of NAS. Ashot Saghyan has also worked at Yerevan State University since 1998, first as an assistant professor of the department of pharmaceutical chemistry, then as a professor, and since 2003 as a head of the department. Ashot Saghyan is the director of the Institute of Pharmacy of YSU, established in 2016 on the basis of the department of pharmaceutical chemistry. He is the scientific supervisor of 18 candidate and 3 doctoral dissertations.In 2001, Ashot Saghiyan was awarded the European Union Descartes Prize. In 2002 he was awarded the State Order of Friendship of the People's Republic of China. In 2004 and 2011, he was awarded the prize of the President of the RA, in 2009 - the commemorative medal of the Prime Minister of the RA. In 2014 he was awarded the title of the Honored Scientist. In 2015 he was awarded the State Prize of the RA.
    In his speech, the newly elected President of NAS  presented some of the tasks facing the Academy, highlighting the optimization of research areas and human potential, the modernization of research activities in the military-technical sphere, the development of applied research, the solution of social issues of the NAS system employees, the expansion of international cooperation, stimulation of the development of Armenian studies, the expansion of the cooperation with universities, the rejuvenation of  the scientific potential of NAS  system.

    Hrant Matevosyan, the corresponding member of NAS, was elected the Vice President of NAS. Hrant Matevosyan was born in 1947 in Yerevan. In 1970 he graduated from the Faculty of Physics of YSU with a degree in plasma physics. In 1977 he received a candidate's degree, and in 1997- a degree of doctor of physical and mathematical sciences. In 2010 he was elected a corresponding member of NAS. Hrant Matevosyan in 2011-2021 had the position of the  Academician-Secretary of NAS, since 2011 he has been a member of the Presidium of  NAS. He is the director of the Science Development Fund of NAS, the head of the theoretical physics department of the Institute of Radiophysics and Electronics of NAS. In 2018 he was awarded the title of the Honored Scientist.
    Arthur Ishkhanyan, the corresponding member of NAS, was elected the Academician-Secretary of NAS. Artur Ishkhanyan was born in 1960 in the Shosh village of the NKR. He graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1983. In 2004 he received the title of the doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, in 2006 he was elected a corresponding member of NAS.
    Artur Ishkhanyan's fields of scientific activity are atomic, molecular and optical physics, surface physics, quantum few-state systems, ultracold photo- and magneto-association, nonrelativistic and relativistic wave equations, nonlinear physics, mathematical physics, theory of the Heun functions.In 1994-2005 Artur Ishkhanyan had the position of the scientific secretary and in 2005-2006 – of the acting director of the Engineering Center "Mashtots" of NAS, since 2007 – the head of the laboratory of physics of material waves of the Institute for Physical Research of  NAS. In 2015 Artur Ishkhanyan was awarded the prize of the President of the RA.
    Academician Lenser Agalovyan (Division of Mathematics and Technical Sciences), academician Radik Kostanyan (Division of Physics and Astrophysics), corresponding member Ruben Haroutiounian (Division of Natural Sciences), academician Levon Tavadyan (Division of Chemistry and Earth Science), academician Yuri Suvaryan (Division of Armenology and Social Sciences) were elected and approved as the Academician-Secretaries of the scientific divisions of NAS.
   Academicians Radik Martirosyan, Ashot Melkonyan, Gegham Gevorkyan, Gagik Ghazinyan, Gevorg Poghosyan, corresponding members Arsen Hakhumyan and Vazgen Melikyan were elected the members of the Presidium of NAS.
    At the suggestion of the president of NAS Ashot Saghyan, the academician Radik Martirosyan was appointed the chief adviser of the Presidium of NAS, academician Yuri Shoukourian – the adviser of the Presidium of NAS.

   Information-Analytical Service of NAS 
   29.06.2021