Born 19 April 1955 in Moscow.

Studied at the special school №1 in Moscow.

Graduated from the Moscow Lomonosov State University followed by a postgraduate course, both at the History Faculty.

1982: employed as an Assistant to the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of European and American Countries (specialising in Italian modern history).

1982 onwards: Assistant Professor, Senior Professor, Associate Professor, Full Professor of the Faculty of History of the Moscow Lomonosov State University.

1999: completed his doctoral thesis.

April 2008: elected Head of the Department of Modern and Contemporary History of European and American Countries at the Faculty of History of the Moscow Lomonosov State University. In September 2018 appointed as an interim Dean of the Faculty of History of the Moscow Lomonosov State University.

Author of more than 170 scientific articles including textbooks and 10 monographs on the political history of western countries (particularly Italy); totalitarian regimes of the 20th century; changes in attitude in totalitarian societies; relations between the state and society and the history of the Olympic Movement.

As a visiting professor, he lectured at the universities of Rome, Florence, Milan and Parma.
2001-2010: Head of the Department for international programmes at Interros and Deputy CEO of international relations for the Vladimir Potanin Foundation. He also accomplished a number of major international projects in the fields of corporate management, culture and sport.

June 2010: appointed as CEO of the Russian International Olympic University, and in July 2013 – appointed as a Rector.

Member of the Council on Foreign and Defence Policy.
Deputy Chairman of the editorial board of the journal "Russia in Global Policy".
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the History Faculty alumni foundation "Our Historical".

Lev Belousov has been awarded first-class medal of the Order of Merit for the Motherland – for prominent services to the cause of creation of the Russian International Olympic University.

On 31 March 2016 awarded the title of Honoured Worker of Higher Education of the Russian Federation by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No 142. 

On 24 November 2016 elected Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Education.

On 27 February 2019 elected Full Member (Academician) of the Russian Academy of Education.