Vekua Ilia

Vekua Ilia (1907-1977), Mathematician. Member of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia (1946) and the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1958). He was born in Shesheleti village, Georgia. In 1930 he graduated from Tbilisi State University. I. Vekua held a position of the Deputy Director of the Institute of Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and the Member of the Presidium of Siberian branch of the same Academy of Sciences. In 1959-1964 he filled a position of the Rector of Novosibirsk State University. In 1965-72 he served as the Rector of Tbilisi State University; in 1972-77 he filled the seat of the President of the Academy of Sciences of Georgia. I. Vekua’s basic scientific works cover the problems of partial differential equations, singular integral equations, generalized analytic functions and the mathematical theory of elastic shells, issues of theoretical mechanics, etc. He was the Member of the Academy of Sciences of German Democratic Republic (1968), German Academy of Natural Sciences (1969, Leopoldina), Palermo Academy of Sciences, Literature and Arts (1976, Italy) as well as of many international mathematical organizations. He was the laureate of the USSR State Prize (1950, 1984) and Lenin Prize (1963).

I. Vekua died in Tbilisi. He was buried at Mtatsminda Pantheon.