Gelfgat Yuriy Moiseyevich (30.11.1936, Moscow) — physicist and scientist. From the age of 10, lived in Riga. Graduated from the mechanical faculty of Leningrad State University in 1959. Candidate of Technical Sciences from 1968, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences from 1984, Professor of Physics from 1989. Worked as an engineer at the VEF plant in 1959–63; as head of the mechanisation and automation department of the “Kommutator” association in 1963–64. From 1964, at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR: researcher, senior researcher, head of laboratory.

G.'s scientific work is devoted to physical and applied research on various problems of magnetohydrodynamics — the science studying the interaction of electromagnetic fields with electrically conducting liquid media. He is the author and initiator of a number of new scientific directions in magnetohydrodynamics: research into the use of specific magnetohydrodynamic effects to control the speed and structure of liquid-metal flows; modelling and realising on Earth conditions of quasi-weightlessness that allow certain elements of space technologies to be simulated; application of magnetohydrodynamic methods to control the hydrodynamics and heat-and-mass transfer in semiconductor single-crystal growth technologies; study of the influence of combined electromagnetic fields on the processes of momentum, heat and mass transfer in problems of applied magnetohydrodynamics.

The results of G.'s research have included the development of the physical and technical foundations of magnetohydrodynamic methods and devices for various practical applications, including: for the automatic soldering and tinning of printed circuits of radio-electronic equipment; for the transport, mixing and homogenisation of molten metals in metallurgical processes and installations; for original technologies for producing composite materials of the “frozen emulsion” type from immiscible metals (in particular, a high-quality antifriction material based on the aluminium-lead system); for magnetohydrodynamic effects on semiconductor melts in the growth of single- and multi-component single crystals with special properties on Earth and in space.

G. is the author of three monographs, more than 250 academic publications, more than 130 inventions (including 108 inventor's certificates; the remainder are patents of Latvia and other countries), the majority of which have been used in production.

Honoured Inventor of the Latvian SSR (1988); awarded the F.A. Tsander Prize of the Latvian Academy of Sciences in 1991; repeatedly awarded in various years the prizes of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of Latvia, diplomas of the Academy of Sciences of Latvia for the best invention in 2004, 2005 and 2006; two gold medals and a silver medal of the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements.

Vice-Chairman of the International Committee on Electromagnetic Processing of Materials; member of the Council of the international association “Hydromagnetic Phenomena and Their Applications” (Hydromag).

Civic work since 2003 has been connected with the activities of the Council of Jewish Communities of Latvia (CJCL). Executive Director of the Board of Trustees of the CJCL.

I. Brod