Vysshii uchenyi sovet ( a few questions about Soviet scientific hierarchy)

[Michael Berry]

I used to work on Soviet science and can offer the suggestions below:

What do people think of 'Nikolay Andreyevich had gone on to take up a (??)
senior post at a famous research institute...'?

Not quite accurate - starshii nauchnyi sotrudnik is a rank in the hierarchy, coming above mladshii n.s. so it would not necessarily be a senior post. Perhaps 'senior scientist'.
********

Here I have: 'Mandelstam, who had been the head of the research (??nauchnuyu
chast' instituta) section, was demoted to a junior post in the same section
as Nikolay Andreyevich.
(The background here is that of growing antisemitism.  It is before Stalin's
death.)
I would suggest avoiding the repetition of 'section' as 'chast'' and 'otdel' are different and omitting 'junior'. Perhaps say: M., who had been the head of the research division, was demoted to a post in the same section/department as N.A.
****

'Vyshii uchenyi sovet' - from the context it appears that it is within the institute and the one that follows it is a further step up, perhaps use 'supreme academic council. I'll check my bookshelves to see if I have anything which clarifies its responsibilities.
Please contact me offlist if I can be of further assistance.
Best wishes
Mike Berry
Honorary Senior Research Fellow,
Centre for Russian and East European Studies,
University of Birmingham,
Birmingham B15 2TT

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