Professor Yuri P. Pokholkov is currently a Rector of Tomsk Polytechnic University, Tomsk, Russia. He received his Degree in Engineering and PhD from Tomsk Polytechnic Institute in 1961 and1966 respectively. This was followed by the DSc Degree from Moscow State University of Energy in 1978. All awards were in electrical insulating and cable engineering. He subsequently worked for five years as a researcher at Tomsk Polytechnic Institute (TPU). There, he pursued 15 years of teaching and research as Assistant Professor, Senior Researcher, Associated Professor, Professor and Dean of the Electrical Engineering Faculty of TPU.

He worked as a Vice Rector for Research Affairs of TPU from 1981 to 1991. He is the Rector of TPU since 1991. Prof. Pokholkov is a member of the Association of University Presidents since 1995, Vice President of the Siberian Division of the International Academy of Science in Education since 1994 and the President of the Russian Association of Engineering Education since 1999. His research interests include electrical insulating and cable engineering, material science and engineering education.