N. N. Andreev, M. A. Vsemirnov, S. O. Gorchinskiy, D. N. Zaporozhets, S. V. Kislyakov, V. V. Kozlov, M. A. Korolev, D. O. Orlov, Yu. S. Osipov, D. V. Treschev, P. A. Yaskov, “Steklov Institute – 90!”, Russian Math. Surveys, 79:3 (2024), 557

The history of the Mathematical Institute of the Academy of Sciences dates back to 28 April 1934, when by a decision of a general meeting of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR the Mathematics and Physics Divisions of the Physico-Mathematical Institute based in Leningrad were ultimately transformed into two independent institutes, the Steklov Mathematical Institute and the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Academy of Sciences. The institutes moved to Moscow.

Prior to that the Physico-Mathematical Institute was founded in Petrograd in 1921, on the basis of the Mathematical Cabined organized by V. A. Steklov in 1919, the Physics Laboratory organized by B. B. Golitsyn in 1912, and the Permanent Central Seismology Commission formed in 1897. The directors of the Physico- Mathematical Institute were: Steklov in 1921–1926, A. F. Ioffe in 1926–1928, and A. N. Krylov in 1928–1932. Further details about the history of that insitutute can be found in the book Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the Steklov Mathematical Institute: to the 75th anniversary of the Steklov Institute (2009, edited by V. V. Kozlov).

In 1940 the Leningrad Department of the Mathematical Institute was formed, which in 1995 became an autonomous institution under the name of the St. Petersburg Department of the V. A. Steklov Mathematical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, but which retained close links with the Steklov Mathematical Institute in Moscow, not limited to a correlation between their names.

In the same year of 1940, on the basis of the Department of Mechanics of the Mathematical Institute the Mechanical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR was formed. On the basis of the Department of Approximate Methods and the Experimental Laboratory of Computations of the Mathematical Institute and also departments of the Mechanical Engineering Institute of the Academy and the Power Engineering Institute, the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Equipment was organized in 1948 and then also the Computer Center of the Academy of Sciences (named after A. A. Dorodtitsyn in 2000). The Department of Applied Mathematics of the Steklov Institute was allocated in 1953 in the Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences, and the core of its first employees consisted of staff members from the Steklov Institute (in 1966 that institute was named after M. V. Keldysh). In 1959 the Sverdlovsk Department of the Steklov Institute was organized, which in 1970 became the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences (in 2012 it was named after N. N. Krasovskii). In 1957, at the suggestion of M. A. Lavrentyev and S. A. Khristianovich, who worked at the Steklov Institute at that time, the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR was organized. Many prominent researchers from the Steklov Institute moved to Akademgorodok in Novosibirsk and developed their scientific schools on the basis of Novisibirsk State University and various Institutes in Akademgorodok, including the Institute of Mathematics of the Siberian Branch of the Academy (named after S. L. Sobolev in 1994), the Institute of Hydrodynamics of the Siberian Branch (named after Lavrentyev in 1980), and the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics of of the Siberian Branch of the Academy (named after Khristianovich in 2005).

The archives of the Steklov Institute contain the report “Scientific activity and staff training in the V. A. Steklov Mathematical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR”, made by academician I. M. Vonogradov, the director of the institute, at a meeting of the Praesidium of the Academy of Sciences on 26 May 1967. Here are a few quotes characterizing our institute from this report.

“Various fields of mathematics were intensively developing during the last years. It is important to note that the development of mathematics in the whole is decisive for the quality of its applications and makes a significant impact on the development of other branches of science and technology. Mathematics continues its unceasing development, by finding new and novel areas for its application. Problems coming from practice result in new lines of research. It is necessary for the progress of science in our country that mathematics develops successfully further in various directions. In our country it must be on an advanced level. Divided groups of researchers at universities and research institutes will not be able to achieve these goals without a central research institute, which coordinates and guides the research work in mathematics carried out in different scientific centres. This institute must host a staff of prominent researchers concentrated on doing theoretical research work in mathematics. The Mathematical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR is just such an institution. This is the largest centre of mathematics research in our country. Its departments carry out research in the most important topical areas of contemporary mathematics and its applications.”

“A characteristic feature of the Mathematical Institute for more than 30 years of its existence is the small number of staff, which is in continual change.”

“Despite its perpetually small staff, the Mathematical Institute has made a significant contribution to training highly-qualified mathematicians in our country. The role of the institute is particularly important in what concerns the mathematical education of talented youths living outside Moscow. About $80\%$ of postgraduate students in the Steklov Institute are from the provinces, while the rest are from Moscow State University and other Moscow institutes of higher education. The number of postgraduate students at the Steklov Institute is varying between 40 to 70 persons. During the period of 1957–1961 111 students completed their postgraduate studies, 76 of which defended their Ph.D. theses. In 1962–1966 80 students completed their postgraduate studies and 53 of these prepared their theses.”

“The most important and efficacious component of the work of the institute has always been training the specialists of the highest qualifications, Doctors of Science. The institute has alwas been successful in this. Many prominent scientists have completed their doctoral or advanced postgraduate studies at the institute.” [Here we must note that in the post-Soviet times the number of postgraduate students at the institute has significantly been reduced for financial reasons.]

“Thus, the V. A. Steklov Mathematical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR is the largest scientific and research centre in mathematics in our country. It hosts a relatively small, but very strong team of mathematicians, many of which are first-rate researchers with international recognition. The activities of the institute are concentrated on the following three main directions:

For its services to national science Steklov Mathematical Institute was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1967 and the Order of October Revolution in 1984. Of its staff, 15 researchers were given the Titles of the Hero of Socialist Labour, of whom M. V. Keldysh received it three times and N. N. Bogolyubov and I. M. Vinogradov got it twice. Yu. S. Osipov, the director of the institute in 1993–2004, when the new spacious building was erected, received the Title of the Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation. V. V. Kozlov, the director in 2004–2016, who revived the institute, is one of the few full holders of the Order for Services to the Fatherland. L. D. Faddeev, who was the head of the Leningrad/St. Petersburg Department of the Steklov Institute in 1976–2000 and organized the Euler International Mathematical Institute, was a honorary citizen of Saint Petersburg. The Lenin Prize was awarded to 32 researchers from the institute, the USSR State Prize to 83, and the State Prize of the Russian Federation to 10. Three scientists from the institute received the Prize of the President of the Russian Federation in Science and Innovation to Young Scientists.

Researchers from the Steklov Instutute and the St. Petersburg Department of the Steklov Institute were repeatedly awarded prestigious international prizes. L. V. Kantorovich was awarded the Nobel Prize, S. P. Novikov and G. I. Perelman the Fields Prize, and V. I. Arnold and L. D. Faddeev the Shaw Prize. The Nevanlinna Prize of the International Mathematical Union was awarded to A. A. Razborov, and the Leelavati Prize of the IMU to N. N. Andreev. The Prize of the European Mathematical Society for young mathematicians went to A. I. Efimov, A. G. Kuznetsov, S. Yu. Nemirovski, and G. I. Perelman. In 1987–1990 L. D. Faddev was the president of the International Mathematical Union. More than 150 invited speakers at International Congresses of Mathematicians were from the institute: since the organization of the Physico-Mathematical Institute our researchers were speakers at all congresses but the one in 1950.

The 90th anniversary of the Steklov Mathematical Institute was marked by two conferences. The conference in Moscow was held in 13–15 May 2024. Each of the 15 research departments of the institute and the Laboratory of Popularization and Promotion of Mathematics presented reviews of their work. Following the tradition, the choice of topics was at the discretion of the heads of departments and the speakers themselves. The speakers were D. O. Orlov (Department of Algebra), S. O. Gorchnskiy and D. V. Osipov (Department of Algebraic Geometry), V. M. Buchstaber (Department of Geometry and Topology), A. M. Zubkov (Department of Discrete Mathematics), L. V. Lokutsievskiy (Department of Differential Equations), E. M. Chirka and S. P. Suetin (Department of Complex Analysis), L. D. Beklemishev (Department of Mathematical Logic), I. V. Volovoch (Department of Mathematical Physics), S. V. Bolotin (Department of Mechanics), I. Ya. Aref’eva (Department of Theoretical Physics), A. S. Holevo and A. N. Shiryaev (Department of Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics), B. S. Kashin (Department of Function Theory), S. V. Konyagin and M. A. Korolev (Department of Number Theory). Reports on two newly organized departments were presented by their heads, A. N. Pechen (Department of Mathematical Methods for Quantum Technologies) and V. N. Temlyakov (Department of Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence). The projects of the Laboratory of Popularization and Promotion of Mathematics were reviewed by its head N. N. Andreev. The lectures contained interesting historical components and summaries of some results obtained at the departments. The videotapes of all talks and presentations to these talks, as well as a video of an evening of reflections on the Steklov Institute are available at the Math-Net.Ru portal (https://www.mathnet.ru/eng/conf2434).

The conference in St. Petersburg was held on 16–17 May, and the general idea behind the talks was similar. At the St. Petersburg Department of Steklov Mathematical Institute research teams are historically organized into laboratories, which were presented by I. A. Panin (Laboratory of Algebra and Number Theory), O. Ya. Viro (onine) and S. V. Ivanov (Laboratory of Geometry and Topology), M. I. Belishev (Laboratory of Mathematical Problems of Geophysics); M. A. Semenov-Tian-Shanski (Laboratory of Mathematical Problems of Physics), V. I. Vasyunin (Laboratory of Mathematical Analysis), Yu. V. Matiyasevich (Laboratory of Mathematical Logic and Discrete Mathematics), A. I. Nazarov (Laboratory of Mathematical Physics), N. V. Smorodina (Laboratory of Applied Probabilistic and Algorithmic Methods), I. A. Ibragimov and D. N. Zaporozhets (Laboratory of Statistical Methods), and F. V. Petrov (Laboratory of Representation Theory and Dynamical Systems). The director of the institute library E. G. Vinogradova reported on the first years of the Leningrad department of the Steklov Institute and the history of the house on the Fontanka Embankment (this history is the subject of the website http://club.pdmi.ras.ru/zimin/, where, in particular V. A. Zalgaller’s photo album From the past http://club.pdmi.ras.ru/zimin/books/zalgaller.pdf, dedicated to the building and the institute, is presented). O. V. Postnova reported on the work of the Euler International Mathematical Institute.

A poster and ‘mathematical’ notebooks were ready for the conference, where each department contributed an important nice formula from the relevant area of mathematics. This idea came from younger colleagues, and the directorate, and all head of departments took part it its realization. Formulae were stylized as typerscript, and handwriting was due to V. V. Kozlov. This reflects the current spirit in the institute, when the young suggest ideas and their older colleagues support their initiatives and help to implement them.

These days 120 researchers work at the Steklov Institute on permanent basis. They include 13 full members and 17 corresponding members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and 60 of the other researchers are Doctors of Science. The Leningrad Department of the Steklov Institute embraces about 100 researcher fellows, three of whom are full members of the Academy of Sciences, three are corresponding members of the Academy, and 41 of the others are Doctors of Science.

The institute is constantly developing. As already mentioned, two departments were organized in recent years, namely, the ones of Mathematical Methods for Quantum Technologies and of Mathematical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence. The Scientific and Educational Center works since 2005, with an aim to train gifted students who wish to do mathematics and theoretical physics at a professional level. Every evening the building of the institute if full of student and postgraduates from Moscow State University, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, the HSE University, and other universities.

Since 2019 International Mathematical Centers work on the basis of the Steklov Mathematical Institute and the St. Petersburg Department of Steklov Institute, in the framework of the national project “Science and Universities”. Owing to additional financial support from the state, a number of prospective young researchers — postdocs, postgraduates, interns — could be drawn into the work of the institutes. Every year dozens of conferences are organized, which are highly valued in Russia and internationally and attract many Russian and foreign participants. Their venues can be the biuldings of the institutes themselves and some other research or educational institutions in the Russian Federation or its near abroad. In 2022, the Steklov Institute and Moscow State University hosted the large-scale Second Conference of Russian Mathematical Centers, which was in fact an all-Russia meeting of leading experts in mathematics. In 2024 the Fourth Conference of Russian Mathematical Centers will be hosted by the Euler International Mathematical Institute.

We wish the Steklov Institute further development and we wish the staff of the institute good health and outstanding results!

Citation: N. N. Andreev, M. A. Vsemirnov, S. O. Gorchinskiy, D. N. Zaporozhets, S. V. Kislyakov, V. V. Kozlov, M. A. Korolev, D. O. Orlov, Yu. S. Osipov, D. V. Treschev, P. A. Yaskov, “Steklov Institute – 90!”, Russian Math. Surveys, 79:3 (2024), 557–562

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