After Ukraine recovered its independence in 1991, a group of distinguished Ukrainian scientists concluded that new approaches to the further development of Ukrainian science were needed. Among these scientists was the outstanding theoretical physicist and Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Viktor Baryakhtar. In his opinion, Ukraine needed to build a new organizational structure that would bring fundamental academic science closer to applied university science, thus connecting talented young scientists with experienced leaders of scientific schools. At that time, Viktor Baryakhtar was also the dean of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Over many previous years, he had developed a practice of collaborating with the most talented students and involving them in research work in the scientific departments of the Donetsk Institute of Physics and Technology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and, later, at the Institute for Metal Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
Viktor Baryakhtar shared these thoughts with his former student, Honored Scientist of Ukraine, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Yurii Gorobets, who was Deputy Minister of Education of Ukraine at that time. Yurii Gorobets supported the idea of creating a new type of research institute that would be subordinated to both the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, which would allow for the best possible coordination of scientific work. Such a research institute would have broad opportunities to participate in scientific projects in both academic and university science. This approach guaranteed the expansion of technical capabilities and allowed talented graduates of higher education institutions and talented young people to be accepted for postgraduate studies, internships, and employment. The project to create a dual-subordination research institute was supported by the President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Boris Paton. The Minister of Education of Ukraine Vasyl Kremin also found this idea timely and promising.
Thus, in June 1995, the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine adopted Resolution No. 172 of 07.06.1995 on the establishment of the Institute of Magnetism of the NAS of Ukraine. The institute was established on the basis of two departments of the Institute for Metal Physics of the NAS of Ukraine: the Department of Theoretical Physics (headed by Academician V. G. Baryakhtar) and the Department of Film Physics (headed by a well-known experimental physicist, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences A. M. Pogorily). The main scientific focus of the newly created institute was determined to be the study of the magnetic phenomena and materials. The institute became part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Academician V.G. Baryakhtar was appointed as the Director of the Institute of Magnetism, while A.M. Pogorily was appointed as his deputy for scientific work. By the same Resolution, the Institute was provided with a building for an autoclave facility, which was on the balance of the Institute for Metal Physics. Soon, on August 17, 1995, a joint Order No. 181/249 of the President of the NAS of Ukraine and the Minister of Education of Ukraine was signed on the dual subordination of the Institute of Magnetism to the Ministry of Education of Ukraine and the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
In September 1995, the Department of Single Crystal Synthesis of the M.P. Semenenko Institute of Geochemistry, Mineralogy, and Ore Formation of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine joined the Institute, headed by a well-known researcher, Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences Georgiy Ostapenko. In March 1996, the Department of Magnetostructural Transformations, headed by Professor Volodymyr Kokorin joined the Institute upon transfer from the Institute for Metal Physics of the NAS of Ukraine. Thus, by the end of 1996, the Institute consisted of four departments:
• Department of Theoretical Physics, headed by Professor Yevgen Bilokolos.
• Department of Film Physics, headed by Professor Anatoliy Pogorily.
• Department of Magnetostructural Transformations, headed by Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Kokorin.
• Department of Single Crystal Synthesis, headed by Professor Georgiy Ostapenko.
In April 1997, the Institute established the Department of Nanocrystalline Structures, headed by Honored Scientist of Ukraine, Professor Yurii I. Gorobets. In September 1997, the Department of Magnetic Materials Physics was established, headed by Prof. Viktor F. Los, Honored Scientist of Ukraine.
In addition, the Institute had two joint departments with leading higher education institutions in Ukraine:
1. The Center for Magnetic Technologies in the Food Industry, joint with the Kyiv National University of Food Technologies (joint Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine No. 393/279 of 17.11.1998);
2. Scientific and Educational Center for High-Pressure Researches, joint with Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (joint Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine No. 555-22 dated December 29, 1999).
By the initiative of V.G. Baryakhtar and Y.I. Gorobets, with the aim of more effective use of modern scientific equipment and transfer of experience of leading scientists, three joint laboratories of the Institute of Magnetism and Kyiv Polytechnic Institute were created:
• Laboratory of Computer Physics;
• Laboratory of Scanning Electron Microscopy for Nanostructure Research;
• Laboratory of Physics and Information Technologies in Biology and Medicine.
The founders and first heads of the institute - A. M. Pogorily, V. G. Baryakhtar, and Y. I. Gorobets (from left to right), 2005.
An integral task of the Institute has always been the training of talented scientific staff. The Institute's scientists have been actively involved in teaching at leading universities in Kyiv: Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, National Aviation University, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, etc. Later, the Institute of Magnetism became the base for training students of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the Physics and Radiophysics Faculties of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
The postgraduate program at the Institute of Magnetism was established by Order No. 483 of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine on July 10, 2007. In the early years of the Institute's existence, our institute's postgraduate enrollment was one of the highest in the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Graduates of leading Ukrainian higher education institutions were invited to apply for the following specialties: 01.04.07 – solid state physics; 01.04.11 – magnetism; 01.04.02 – theoretical physics; 21.06.01 – environmental safety. Postgraduate and doctoral programs in these specialties operated successfully until 2022. Later, the postgraduate training specialties were changed to 104 "Physics and Astronomy" and 105 "Applied Physics and Nanomaterials." In 2025, they were transformed into specialties E5 "Physics and Astronomy" and E6 "Applied Physics and Nanomaterials."
Thanks to the efforts of V.G. Baryakhtar and Y.I. Gorobets, on May 17, 2004, the Institute of Magnetism established the Specialized Academic Council D26.248.01 authorized for evaluation of theses for the degree of Doctor (Candidate) of Physical and Mathematical Sciences in the following specialties: 01.04.02 – Theoretical Physics, 01.04.11 – Magnetism. The scientific secretary of the specialized academic council is Larisa Kozlova, PhD in Physics and Mathematics. Over the 20 years of the specialized academic council's existence, more than 60 theses have been defended, including 41 candidate and 19 doctoral theses. Currently, the Institute has a specialized academic council for the defense of theses in the following specialties: 01.04.02 – theoretical physics; 01.04.11 – magnetism.
In 2007, the Institute established the Center for Collective Use of Scientific Equipment "Scanning Microscopy Laboratory" based on the Solver Pro-M atomic force microscope and the Bruker ELEXSYS E500 EPR spectrometer. In 2023, the center was renamed the Shared equioment "Center Magnetic and Structural Researches".
In 2016, after Academician V.G. Bar'yakhtar retired, he was appointed Honorary Director of the Institute, and the Institute was headed by Yurii I. Gorobets, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine. At the same time, the structure of the Institute was optimized as follows:
• Department of Theory of Magnetic Phenomena and Magnetic Dynamics in Condensed Media (No. 01) (headed by Dr. Volodymyr O. Golub). The department included the Laboratory of Magnetic Materials (headed by Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine Boris O. Ivanov).
• Department of Film Physics (No. 02) (headed by Prof. Oleksandr I. Tovstolytkin).
• Department of Physics of Meso- and Nanocrystalline Magnetic Structures (No. 03) (headed by Prof. Yurii I. Dzhezherya). The department includes the Laboratory of Nanocrystalline Structures (headed by Dr. Dmytro O. Derecha) and the Laboratory of Problems of Organizing Scientific Research in Higher Education Institutions (headed by Dr Serhii M. Porev).
Sadly, in early 2021, Yurii Gorobets, the director of the Institute, passed away suddenly. The duties of the director of the Institute were assigned to his deputy for scientific work, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Prof. Viktor F. Los from March 11, 2021, until a new director of the Institute is elected.
In June 2021, a known experimental physicist Prof. Oleksandr I. Tovstolitkin was elected director of the Institute. By Resolution No. 177 of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine dated June 9, 2021, O.I. Tovstolitkin was approved as director. At that time, the COVID-19 pandemic was spreading rapidly in Ukraine, which significantly complicated the scientific and teaching activities of the Institute's staff. However, thanks to effective work organization, even during the quarantine, the Institute continued to successfully implement its plans.
In December 2021, due to the transfer of part of the staff of the Institute of Applied Problems of Physics and Biophysics to the Institute of Magnetism of the NAS of Ukraine and the expansion of research areas, the Laboratory of Magnetostructural Transformations and the Laboratory of Biosensors were established, which are subordinated to the Department of Film Physic (No. 02).
In 2022, the Laboratory Complex for Conducting Experiments under Conditions of High Gas and Hydrostatic Pressures and Temperatures of the Institute of Magnetism was included in the List of scientific objects granted the status of national heritage (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1243 of November 4, 2022).
In 2024, the Institute left the subordination of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and was renamed in honor of its founder.
The current name is V.G. Baryakhtar Institute of Magnetism of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
In 2025, the Institute underwent state certification and received "B" rating.
The Institute has been and remains a leading scientific center for the study of magnetic phenomena and materials in Ukraine. Throughout its existence, the Institute has formed scientific schools: school of Academician Viktor Baryakhtar, of Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine A. M. Pogorily, of Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine B. O. Ivanov, of Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine Yu. I. Gorobets, and of Professor V.V. Kokorin. The Institute regularly organizes (co-organizes) scientific conferences in the field of magnetism. Recently, the Institute co-coordinated the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) program “Magnetism for Ukraine Initiative” — a grant program initiated by the IEEE Magnetics Society to support Ukrainian scientists in the field of magnetism under difficult wartime conditions and funded by the IEEE with the support of the Science and Technology Center of Ukraine.