The staff number of the Geological Institute of SB RAS equals 156 research workers, including 1 corresponding member of RAS, 11 professors, 34 doctors of science, 22 young specialists, 19 postgraduates.

     The transactions of the scientists have been highly appreciated by the state and its scientific community: Professor A.L. Kovalevsky was awarded with A.P. Vinogradov's gold medal of RAS, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy A.G. Mironov and Corresponding member of RAS I.V. Gordienko - with medals of Order "For great services to Motherland" of II degree, Corresponding member of RAS I.V. Gordienko - with Order "For great services to Motherland" of IV degree, Professor A.N. Bulgatov and Corresponding member of RAS I.V. Gordienko received the State prize of Buryatia Republic in the field of science and technology for 2008. 5 Honoured Scientists of RF, 11 Honoured Scientists of RB, 5 Honoured geologists of RB and 1 Honoured geologist of RF work at the Institute. There are 8 laboratories, administrative and laboratory buildings by total area of 3.5 thousand sq. meters, 5 field scientific stationaries at the Institute.

    Geological academical science of Buryatia was organized in 1958 when the Department of Geology with only 4 researchers on the staff was established inside the Buryat Complex Research Institute (BCRI) of SB USSR Academy of Sciences.
     In 1966 BCRI was transformed into the Buryat Branch of SB USSR Academy of Sciences. In addition, the staff of the department increased up to 25 workers, and the department itself already consisted of 4 laboratories, i.e. those of tectonics, petrography, geochemistry and ore genesis. 1973 is considered the year of the Institute foundation, when the resolution of Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences about organization of the Geological Institute at the Buryat Branch of SB USSR Academy of Sciences was passed. Professor of Geology and Mineralogy V.V. Zolotukhin was entrusted with the organization of the Institute. However Professor of Geology and Mineralogy F.P. Krendelev (later a Corresponding member of RAS and now the deceased) became the first director of the Institute. The Institute began its activities when it already included 6 scientific laboratories. The laboratory of geomorphology and quaternary geology and laboratory of geochemistry of exogenic processes were added.

    Since 1980 a new period of life began in Geological Institute. Nikolai Leontjevich Dobretsov, well known scientist in the world was appointed its director. The level of the carried out studies sharply increased with his appointment. It was the time of wide spread of geodynamics and plate tectonics ideas, detailed works that were related to paleogeodynamic reconstructions of Transbaikalia and East Sayan, determination and study of ophiolite associations. N.L. Dobretsov was awarded to the high title of Corresponding member and later Academician of RAS for great scientific and organizational work. From 1989 to 1995 Professor of Geology and Mineralogy Edward Germanovich Konnikov was the director of the Geological Institute. During hard years of "perestroika", he could preserve the staff of the Institute, make international cooperation more intensive and even develop a new seismological direction of geophysical studies. The investigations of the Sayan-Baikal region ultrabasic-basic complexes and associated precious metal mineralization received the "second breath".

     In 1996-2008 the Institute was headed by Professor of Geology and Mineralogy Anatoliy Georgievich Mironov being famous in the country and abroad as specialist in the field of gold geochemistry. In addition, he is the author of the method of autoradiographic detecting the radioisotopes that allowed solving many problems of gold geochemistry in various stages of ore forming process. At that time the staff of the Institute was enlarged by new scientific personnel. The renewal of experimental analytical base was started. Ecological direction of studies was formed

    In 2009, Doctor of Geology and Mineralogy Gennadiy Ivanovich Tatkov was elected the director of the Geological Institute. In the 90th years of the last century the aerially distributed system of geophysical monitoring was developed under his leadership. It was directed at observation of changes in tension state and process of deformation in seismically active parts of the Baikal Rift. The technique of instrumental diagnosing the buildings and building constructions was developed and successfully employed. The ore-geophysical direction is widely developed.