Born on June 5, 1956 in Moscow, Vyacheslav Nikonov graduated from the History Faculty of Moscow State University (MSU) in 1978. He taught Modern and Contemporary History at MSU from 1978 to 1989. While there, he was awarded a Ph.D. in History in 1982 and received a second Doctoral degree in 1989. Between 1989 and 1991, Nikonov worked at the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, first as an assistant to the Head of the USSR Presidential Administration, then as an assistant to the Head of the KGB. Since 1992 he has worked for the Reforma foundation, established by the academician Stanislav Shatalin, and taught at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech); he also established the Politika foundation. He served as an MP of the State Duma of the first convocation between 1993 and 1995, and later as Chairman of the Committee of Education of the State Duma of the sixth convocation (2011-2016). Since 2016 Nikonov has been Chairman of the Committee of Education and Science of the State Duma of the seventh convocation, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Russkiy Mir foundation, and Dean of the School of Public Administration at MSU. He has been President of the Polity and Unity for Russia foundations, and a member of the Presidium of the General Council of the United Russia political party. He is the grandson of the renowned Soviet politician and diplomat, Vyacheslav Molotov. Nikonov has authored more than 1,200 publications.