The Institute of Biology (www), Komi Science Center, Ural Division, Russian Academy of Sciences is the largest scientific establishment performing complex studies of structural and functional organization of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the European Northeast. The main objectives of the Institute of Biology are conducting fundamental scientific research in general and physical-chemical biology (including biology of ecosystems; study, protection, and sustainable use of plant and animal world; genetics and selection; hydrobiology and ichthyology; soil studies; radioecology; plant physiology; bio-organic chemistry and biotechnology, analytical chemistry).

Galina Mazhitova is a Senior Researcher of the Soil Science Department. Her main research interest is permafrost-affected and other northern soils, their ecological significance, classification, mapping and temperature regimes. Her own research has been conducted in East Siberia and European Russian Arctic.

Capitolina Bobkova is Professor and Chief Researcher of the Department of Forest-Biological Problems of the North. Her main research interest is forest resources, biological productivity of forests, circulation of nutrient elements in coniferous forests, and carbon balance in forests. Her own research has been conducted in forests ecosystems of the European NorthEast.

Elena Patova is a Senior Researcher of Flora and Vegetation of the North Science Department. Her fields of interest are algae in fresh water and terrestrial tundra ecosystems, anthropogenic impact in the East-European tundra and the Barents region, vegetation of extreme biotopes, especially of cold deserts (the Arctic), and polluted areas (heavy metals, oil and mining contaminated).

Ludmila Khokhlova is a Senior Researcher of Animal Ecology Science Department, Laboratory of Hydrobiology. Her main research interest is ecological examination of the modern state of water bodies of Northeast Europea Russia.

Vasily Ponomarev is Deputy Director for International Scientific Programs. The main areas of his research are ecology, ecological fish physiology and biochemistry. Scientific interests are connected mainly with the study of biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems and adaptation mechanisms of fish under the conditions of the North.