---
title: "Siarhei Besarab"
chunk: 1/2
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siarhei_Besarab"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T04:12:54.675118+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Siarhei Besarab (Belarusian pronunciation: [ˈsʲargej bʲesɐˈrab] ) is a Belarusian chemist, civil activist, and science communicator known for his contributions to popularizing science in the fields of radioactivity, nuclear safety, and environmental protection.  A specialist in surface science, he formerly worked as a researcher at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
Following the 2020 Belarusian protests, Besarab was dismissed from his academic position. He subsequently became a prominent critic of the safety protocols at the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant and published analyses regarding the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. In June 2023, citing political persecution and facing charges from the Belarusian KGB, he left the country for the European Union

== Early life and education ==
Siarhei Besarab was born in 1984 in the city of Novogrudok in the Grodno Region of western Belarus. He graduated with honors from Secondary School No. 3 in Novogrudok, where he won several awards at regional and national chemistry olympiads during his school years. In recognition of his academic performance in chemistry, Besarab received a local student distinction which included the ceremonial wearing of the academic gown belonging to Boris Kit, a rocket scientist originally from the region.

Besarab received his Bachelor of Science from the Department of Radiation Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies, Faculty of Chemistry, Belarusian State University, where he conducted research on radiation-induced free radicals under the supervision of Professor Oleg Shadyro, a leading specialist in the study of radiation effects.
He earned his master's degree in chemistry at the University of National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB). His master's research was supervised by Alexander Tretyak, a Belarusian specialist in glass chemistry and functional glass materials. Following his master's studies, Besarab conducted doctoral research in surface science under the guidance of academician Vladimir Komarov at the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry at NASB. Komarov is recognized as a leading Belarusian chemist and founder of the national school of adsorption science.
During his secondary school and university years, Besarab developed an interest in meteoritics and meteorite hunting. He worked as an analytical chemist in a team involved in commercial meteorite search expeditions, where he was responsible for identifying recovered materials.

== Career ==

=== Scientific research ===
Since 2010, Besarab has worked as a research scientist in the Laboratory of Adsorbents and Adsorption Processes at the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry at NASB, and focusing on inorganic porous materials, effective adsorbents, and new catalysts. Holder of 12 patents, his research ranked among the top 100 in Belarusian fundamental and applied sciences from 2011 to 2015 and earned him two prizes in the Republican Scientific Research Competition (2009, 2011). In 2016, he won the Belarusian segment of the Skolkovo Startup Tour for a mercury fume purification device and contributed to developing polymer hydrogels and additive technologies in cardiac surgery as a scientific advisor at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Pediatric Surgery. Additionally, he organized Belarus's first scientific hackathon, SciHackathon, in 2017.

=== Science communication ===

Siarhei Besarab has made contributions to science communication as a journalist and educator. Since 2019, he has managed LAB-66, the largest Belarusian science popularization channel on Telegram, with over 19,000 readers, focusing on chemistry, civil safety, and radiological protection. The blog's analytical articles have been widely reprinted in Belarusian and Ukrainian media, and its content has supported investigative journalism, such as that by the OSINT project Belarusian Hajun.
As a futurologist, Besarab has published articles and forecasts on artificial intelligence, focusing in particular on the ethical, social, and security risks of advanced AI systems. He is also a research collaborator at the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute (GCRI), where he contributes expert insights on global risks and future challenges.
He has also produced forecasts on the development of emerging technologies, including synthetic biology and energy innovation, publishing his analyses in Belarusian independent media such as Belsat and TUT.by. In March 2026, Besarab debuted as a television presenter, launching his own weekly science and futurology segment on the independent television channel Belsat TV. The segment, broadcast as part of the morning show Ranitsa z Belsatam (Morning with Belsat), focuses on the critical analysis of emerging technologies, bioethics, and techno-social forecasting.
Besarab is also active as a climate science communicator, regularly publishing analytical articles on the impact of climate change in Belarus and Eastern Europe. He is recognized for raising public awareness about climate-related risks, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and adaptation strategies in the region. In 2025, he received the Green Award Prize for producing some of the best environmental content in the country, including his analysis of climate anomalies in Belarus and articles focusing on local adaptation strategies.
Besarab also champions alternative food sources, such as insect protein, further advancing science literacy.

== Public activities and civil activism ==