Yuri Efremovich Nesterikhin (born 10.10.1930) is a Soviet physicist and an academician (1981; corresponding member 1970). He was born in the city of Ivanovo. He graduated from Moscow University (1953). In 1954—61 he worked at the Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy, and in 1961 —67 at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences. From 1967 he has been director of the Institute of Automation and Electrometry of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
His work was on plasma physics and the problem of controlled thermonuclear fusion. He developed methods of determining plasma parameters and equipment for measuring its characteristics. He studied collisionless shock waves in plasma and obtained results confirming the existence of shock waves in plasma, determined the conditions for exciting them and proved that they can be used to heat plasma. He also contributed to the development of work on the automation of scientific research in the country.
Editor-in-chief of the journal “Avtometriya”.