Ubay Orifov was born in the city of Kokand in the Ferghana Oblast of Russian Turkestan.

From 1945 to 1956, Orifov was the Director of the Physicotechnical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, a position he would serve in again from 1963 to 1967.

He assumed the position of President of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR on January 23, 1962 and served until February 26, 1966.

He also explored the patterns of electron emission during the bombardment of metal crystals and film systems by atomic particles.

In addition, he developed the mechanisms of potential and kinetic electron emission of various classes of the surface of a solid body; established the possibility of a strong increase in the yield of negative ions from the sprayed surface and laid the foundation for the development of spray sources of negative ions; proved the possibility of directional changes in surface properties using beams of charged particles and developed methods of ion nitriding, passivation, ion-beam treatment, etc.