One of the world's leading experts in magnet technology has uprooted his family to join Oxfordshire's growing scientific Russian expatriate community.

Vladimir DatskovMr Vladimir Datskov, 50, has moved with his wife Nina and 14-year-old daughter Olga from Moscow to join Oxford Instruments's Superconductivity division at Tubney Woods, near Abingdon.

Mr Datskov, Moldovan by birth, has a diploma in cryogenic engineering and a PhD in cryogenics and superconducting magnet technology.

Like several of his Oxford Instruments colleagues from the former Soviet Union, he has settled in Bicester. He had previously worked in the USA for two years and at Cern, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, in Geneva.

After being appointed in competition with 20 highly specialised candidates from all over the world, he had problems getting a work permit. He said: "All job correspondence sent to me by Oxford Instruments had to be sent by e-mail or fax as letters from abroad regularly arrive late in Russia.

"The demand for foreign currency or employment abroad puts post at risk from theft. In fact we had to arrange a clandestine meeting in Moscow to ensure my work permit arrived safely."

"For me, the job has lived up to my expectations as I am working on some big projects and there is plenty of variety."