MALYSHEV VADIM ALEKSANDROVICH (13.04.1938 — 30.09.2022)
With a deep sorrow we inform that Professor Vadim Aleksandrovich Malyshev, an outstanding Russian scientist in mathematics and mathematical physics and Doctor of Sciences, passed away suddenly on the 30th of September 2022, on his 85th year.
V.A.Malyshev was born on 13th April 1938 in Moscow. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University in 1961 and completed his PhD studies at the Mathematics Division in 1965. He was awarded a PhD degree in 1966 for the Thesis “Statistical theory of experiments with automata”. In 1973 he received a DrSci degree for the second Thesis “Boundary problems for functions of two complex variables and their applications”. He became a Laureate of the State premium of the Russian Federation in 1991.
In 1967 he started working at the Probability Department of Moscow State University as a senior research staff member, and he had been a leading research staff member since 1987.
Malyshev founded the Laboratory for Large Random Systems and became its Head in 1991. He got a Full Professorship in 1992. He delivered quite a few courses such as “Mathematics and Physics”, “Many-component systems and mathematical physics”, “Introduction to mathematical models” and “Introduction to modern probability models”. For many years he was one of the organisers of the famous Big Seminar (Bol'shoy seminar) in Statistical Physics at the Mechanics and Mathematics Faculty of MSU. For a long time, he had been a participant of the celebrated Dobrushin's seminar at the Institute for Information Transmission Problems (IITP) and had served as one of the Editors of the journal “Problems of Information Transmission”.
In 1994 Vadim Aleksandrovich became the founder and Editor-in-Chief of the new journal “Markov Processes and Related Fields”, the unique independent Russian mathematical journal publishing in English without any external funding, which had won a high reputation in the scientific world. He worked actively on this journal until his very last days. He criticised the approach to science as a collection of small incremental results arguing that each article should show a global perspective.
For more than ten years Malyshev had been working in the leading French applied mathematical institution INRIA. He played a significant role in the world-wide scientific collaboration of MSU with other leading mathematical centres. He himself organised lots of International mathematical conferences. Vadim Aleksandrovich had created an International mathematical School with many disciples. His former students are working nowadays in many universities all over the world, keeping strong links to MSU and continuing well-established traditions of Soviet and Russian mathematics.
V.A.Malyshev's scientific interests were rather wide; he always considered the whole mathematics as a single entity. His results are well-known in diverse and numerous areas of mathematics: in mathematical physics, probability, algebra, and analysis. Here are his main scientific achievements:
- He created a new analytical theory for two-dimensional Wiener – Hopf equations (actually, he did a lot more in this area, see the comments in Russian at http://iitp.ru/ru/news/2801.htm);
- He created and further developed new methods in the theory of random walks in multi-dimensional cones by using Lyapunov functions as well as the hydrodynamical approach;
- He started and developed a new direction in probability, random and quantum grammatics;
- In mathematical physics he introduced a new technique of cluster expansions for spectral problems in dynamical systems of infinitely many particles, and it is for this contribution that jointly with R.A. Minlos he was awarded with the State Prize of the Russian Federation.
More details about the contributions of V.A. Malyshev may be found at the intellectual system «Istina» https://istina.msu.ru/profile/MalyshevVA/.
Also, a lot more may be learnt about his thoughts and philosophy at his page http://mech.math.msu.su/~malyshev/ (in Russian).
Vadim Aleksandrovich always had many plans, and generously shared his ideas with his colleagues and friends. He willingly attracted them to solving new problems and invited new and new colleagues to his projects therefore becoming their co-author. In the last few years, he was thinking about founding a new electronic mathematical journal based on completely new principles in comparison to how it is usually arranged nowadays.
The width of the spectrum of his interests outside mathematics and their depth were incredible. He loved music and played piano excellently, and he gathered a large library of classical partitions.
He has created his own philosophical system and presented it in a monograph «Chains of qualitative complexity» (in Russian).
He has also created his own system of keeping human health and energy. He wanted to understand how life develops and how to prolong the lifespan. His philosophical considerations and even his mathematical works in the last years were a possible path leading to a solution of this mystery...
Vadim Aleksandrovich was clearly distinguished by his integrity, active citizenship, and caring for people around him. During all his life he professed «humanity» in his attitude towards people. With his death the world has lost a great Man and Scientist.
A blessed memory of the outstanding mathematician and teacher will remain forever in the hearts and minds of his colleagues and disciples.