![Victor Vassiliev](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Victor_Vassiliev.jpg)
Victor Anatolyevich Vassiliev or Vasilyev ( ru , Виктор Анатольевич Васильев; born April 10, 1956), is a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n
mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
On ...
. He is best known for his discovery of the
Vassiliev invariant
Vasilyev, Vasiliev or Vassiliev or Vassiljev (russian: Васильев), or Vasilyeva or Vasilieva (feminine; russian: link=no, Васильева), is a common Russian surname that is derived from the Russian given name ''Vasiliy'' (equivalent o ...
s in
knot theory
In the mathematical field of topology, knot theory is the study of knot (mathematics), mathematical knots. While inspired by knots which appear in daily life, such as those in shoelaces and rope, a mathematical knot differs in that the ends are ...
(also known as finite type invariants), which subsume many previously discovered polynomial
knot invariants such as the
Jones polynomial. He also works on
singularity theory,
topology
In mathematics, topology (from the Greek language, Greek words , and ) is concerned with the properties of a mathematical object, geometric object that are preserved under Continuous function, continuous Deformation theory, deformations, such ...
,
computational complexity theory
In theoretical computer science and mathematics, computational complexity theory focuses on classifying computational problems according to their resource usage, and relating these classes to each other. A computational problem is a task solved by ...
,
integral geometry,
symplectic geometry
Symplectic geometry is a branch of differential geometry and differential topology that studies symplectic manifolds; that is, differentiable manifolds equipped with a closed differential form, closed, nondegenerate form, nondegenerate different ...
,
partial differential equations
In mathematics, a partial differential equation (PDE) is an equation which imposes relations between the various partial derivatives of a multivariable function.
The function is often thought of as an "unknown" to be solved for, similarly to ...
(geometry of
wavefront
In physics, the wavefront of a time-varying ''wave field'' is the set (locus) of all points having the same ''phase''. The term is generally meaningful only for fields that, at each point, vary sinusoidally in time with a single temporal freque ...
s),
complex analysis
Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates Function (mathematics), functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathemati ...
,
combinatorics
Combinatorics is an area of mathematics primarily concerned with counting, both as a means and an end in obtaining results, and certain properties of finite structures. It is closely related to many other areas of mathematics and has many appl ...
, and
Picard–Lefschetz theory.
Biography
Vassiliev studied at the
Faculty of Mathematics and Mechanics at the
Lomonosov University
M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...
in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
until 1981. From 1981 to 1987 he was
Senior Researcher
Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...
at the Documents and Archives Research Institute, Moscow and a part-time mathematics teacher at
Specialized Mathematical School
Specialist schools, also known as specialised schools or specialized schools, are schools which specialise in a certain area or field of curriculum. In some countries, for example New Zealand, the term is used exclusively for schools specialis ...
No. 57, Moscow. In 1982 he defended his
Kandidat nauk thesis under
Vladimir Arnold and received the title of
Doktor nauk in 1992.
From 1987 to 1989 he was Senior Researcher at the Statistical Information Systems Research Institute in Moscow. From 1989 to 1990 he was Senior Researcher at the Department of Functional Analysis in the
Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics in Moscow. From 1990 to 1995 he was
Leading Researcher
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
at the Department of Mathematics in the
Research Institute for System Studies
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
in Moscow. Since 1991 he has been professor at the Mathematics College of the
Independent Moscow University
The Independent University of Moscow (IUM) (russian: Независимый Московский Университет (НМУ)) is an educational organisation with rather informal status located in Moscow, Russia. It was founded in 1991 by a gro ...
. Since 1997 he has been
Principal Researcher
Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness t ...
in the Department of Geometry and Topology at the
Steklov Institute of Mathematics
Steklov Institute of Mathematics or Steklov Mathematical Institute (russian: Математический институт имени В.А.Стеклова) is a premier research institute based in Moscow, specialized in mathematics, and a part ...
in Moscow. Since 2009 he has been professor and department chair in Higher School of Economics -
Faculty of Mathematics, HSE,.
Since 2019 his is a member and first chairperson of the Russian Academy of Science's Commission against falsification of scientific research.
He has been a visiting professor at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
VII, and at the
Mathematical Sciences Research Institute
The Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute (SLMath), formerly the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), is an independent nonprofit mathematical research institution on the University of California campus in Berkeley, Califo ...
(MSRI) at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
. He was a visiting fellow commoner at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
in October–December 2000.
Vasilyev has been a member of the
Russian Academy of Science since 2003 (corresponding member since 1997). He is vice-chief editor of the Journal ''Functional Analysis and its Applications'', and the president of the
Moscow Mathematical Society
The Moscow Mathematical Society (MMS) is a society of Moscow mathematicians aimed at the development of mathematics in Russia. It was created in 1864, and Victor Vassiliev is the current president.
History
The first meeting of the society wa ...
. In 1994 he was an invited speaker at the
International Mathematical Congress
The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is the largest conference for the topic of mathematics. It meets once every four years, hosted by the International Mathematical Union (IMU).
The Fields Medals, the Nevanlinna Prize (to be rename ...
in
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
(Plenary Address). In 1986 he received the Moscow Mathematical Society Award.
On 21 February 2014 he together with other protesters against
Bolotnaya Square case was arrested near Zamoskvoretsky Court in Moscow. On 5 March 2014 he among the other protesters was sentenced by Zamoskvoretsky Court to 10 thousand roubles (~ $150 US) fine for "resisting police".
The European Parliament issued resolutions 2013/2667(RSP) of June 13, 2013 and resolution 2014/2628(RSP) of March 13, 2014 on the political nature of the Bolotnaya Square case. Prisoners of the case were recognized as prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International...Most of the people accused in the Bolotnaya square case then were amnestied in December 2013 due to the public pressure both at home and abroad in support of the political prisoners.
Vassiliev is married, with three children.
In 2022 he emigrated to Israel due to the Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vasilyev, Victor Anatolyevich
1956 births
20th-century Russian mathematicians
21st-century Russian mathematicians
Combinatorialists
Topologists
Full Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Living people
Academic staff of the Higher School of Economics
Academic staff of the Independent University of Moscow
Moscow State University alumni