Zhores Alferov was born on 15 of March 1930 in Vitebsk.

In 1952 he graduated from the Ul'yanov Electrotechnical Institute in Leningrad (abbreviated to LETI), electrical engineering faculty, speciality – electronic vacuum engineering.

Since Alferov began his work at the Physico-Technical Institute that had been founded by Abram Fedorovich Ioffe, which he headed in 1987.

In 1961, Alferov read his candidate degree thesis. In 1970 he received PhD in physical and mathematical sciences.

In 1972 Alferov became a professor at LETI and sice 1973 is the head of the chair in optoelectronics.

From 1990 till 1991 Alferov was a vice-president of the Academy of Sciences of USSR and the Chairman of the Leningrad Scientific Center presidium.

In 1988 Alferov became the dean of the Physical and mathematical faculty in Leningrad polythechnik institute.

Since 1991 Alferov is the vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences (the RAS) and Chairman of the Saint-Petersburg Scientific Center of the RAS.

Alferov works in the field of semiconductor physics, quantum and semiconductor electronics and technical physics.

Alferov took part in creation of the first soviet transistors, photodiodes and powerful germanium rectifiers.

Alferov discovered the "superinjection" effect in heterostructures. He showed that it is possible to control the light and electronic flows in heterostructures in completely another way.Alferov discovered first “ideal” heterostructures: alluminium arsenid – gallium arsenid Al As - Ga As.

Alferov created semiconductor lasers on the heterostrusture, implemented streaming oscillating mode at room temperature.

As a result of Alferov's studies the new scientific direction was created – physics of heterostrucures and optoelectronics and electronics on its basis.

Alferov is a chied editor of the “Pisma v zhurnal technicheskoj phisiki” magazine (Letters to the Journal of Technical Physics)

Alferov is an author of more than 50 inventions and 500 scientific publications including 3 monographies.

Zhores Alferov was awarded:

Order of the October Revolution

Lenin order

“The Honour”

Order of the Labour Red Banner

“For services before Motherland” of 3 grade

Other medals of the USSR and Russian Federation

Kyoto Prize in 2001

Zhores Alferov was awarded together with Herbert Kroemer the Nobel Prize in Physics 2000. They discovered fast opto- and microelectronic devices based on multilayer semiconductor structures (semiconductor heterostructures). Fast transistors and laser diods have been developed due to this technology.