In 1960, on advice from David A. Frank-Kamenetskii, Fridman transferred to Novosibirsk University, from which he graduated in 1963 with a M. S. in Physics. The academic career of the young scientist went well until in 1968 he signed the "letter of 46" in defense of imprisoned dissidents. However, with support of many prominent scientists, most of the scientists "signers" careers (not fully) recovered, and even though, following defense, Fridman's Doctor of Science dissertation spent over two years "waiting" to be considered for the approval of the Highest Attestation committee, the degree was finally awarded to him in 1972. In 1971 he was offered the opportunity to create a laboratory of plasma physics in SibIZMIR (now Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics) Irkutsk, and he moved there with Valerij Polyachenko, Ilia Shukhman, and Alexander Morozov.