Yuri Samodurov is the executive director of The Sakharov Foundation(Russia)/Public Commission(Public Commission for the Preservation of the Legacy of the Academician A.D.Sakharov).

In 1978, Samodurov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Geology, and began work as a geologist. In 1985 he received Ph.D in Geology (Candidate of Gelogical Science), and from 1984 to 1988, he worked in the Institute of Gelogy’s Department of Economics on the topic “Developing a Democratic Approach to Managing Work Collectives”. In 1988 and 1989 he worked for the Institute of Historical Archives”.

In 1987 he organized a successful protest against the plan to demolish the Geological Museum, and participated in organizing the democratic election of a new rector of the Institute of Geology. He was an active participant in the Perestroika Club. Samodurov is given credit for the idea of founding the Memorial Society, and was a member of Memorial’s organizing committee. Since 1990 he has been a member of the The Sakharov Foundation(Russia)/Public Commission(Sakharov Commission) and served as its executive director.

Samodurov’s articles on social problems topics have been published in a number of Russian newspapers.