Sergei Bulanov has received a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and a Dr. Sci. degree in Plasma Physics at A. M. Prokhorov Institute of General Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences. He has worked at the Department of Theoretical Physics at P. N. Lebedev Institute of Physics and at the Plasma Physics Laboratory in A. M. Prokhorov Institute of General Physics in Moscow. He was a full professor in physics and mathematics at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Then, he worked at the Kansai Photon Science Institute (JAERI, JAEA, and QST) in Japan. Currently, he works at the ELI-Beamlines in the Czech Republic.
In these organizations, he has researched cosmic ray astrophysics, solar flare physics, plasma discharge physics, the interaction of high-power microwave and laser radiation with matter, controlled nuclear fusion, charged particle acceleration, and fundamental physics. For his achievements, he received the State Prize Award of the USSR, the Hannes Alfven Medal, and an Award from the European Physical Society, and the Order of Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette, awarded by the Emperor of Japan.