President of the Society from 1966 to 1984, head of the Department of Embryology at the University.  Having readjusted funding of the Society that was nearly cut off and having resumed publishing activities, B. Tokin significantly refreshed work of the Society. During the years of his presidency, several new sections were opened, Space Earth Science was separated organizationally. Plenary sessions were regularly held as well as the anniversaries celebrations.

President of the Society in 1939-1941 and from 1984 to 1991. The whole life of Yu.  Polyansky is associated with the University and the Society, which member he became more than 60 years ago. Elected in 1940, he resigned due to the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War. In the second period of his presidency, research and development center was established, which activity provided the flow of funds for the establishment of the bonus scholarship fund.

President of the Society from 1955 to 1957, an active member of the Society, plant physiologist who was concerned with fermentation issues, plant respiration, physiology of essential oil formation, etc. Head of the Department of Plant Physiology at the University of Leningrad.

President from 1941 to 1955, he was heading Department of Zoology for 20 years. An energetic member of the Society, commonly known protistologist, zoologist, expert in comparative anatomy of invertebrates. The founder of classical parasitology, the head of two large scientific schools (of protistology and parasitology). The author of a number of fundamental textbooks for high school. In the midst of "Lysenkoism" he held a plenary meeting of the Society to criticize the ideas of Lysenko. Head of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology at the University of Leningrad.

А. K. Dondua

The First Russia-wide Congress of Naturalists and Doctors held in the Assembly Hall of Saint Petersburg Imperial University in December 1867 – January 1868 recognized a pressing task to educate learned societies in natural science. It was the idea of a chairman, famous zoologist, principal of Saint Petersburg University in 1867-1873 and professor Karl Fedorovich Kessler to form the societies under all Russian universities which would have become an important precondition for nature research in all regions of Russia.