Elections to the Academy

In mid-June 2011, the Academy of Sciences announced the next elections to the RAS. They will take place at the next General Meeting of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is scheduled for December 21-22, 2011. In TrV-N No. 82, we published the answers of a number of scientists on the eve of the elections. We publish those answers that came after the layout of the last issue was already ready.

1. If you had the right to be nominated to the RAS, which of the current scientists would you nominate?

2. What do you expect from the December elections to the Russian Academy of Sciences?

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Konstantin Severinov, Dr. biol. Sciences, Professor at Rutgers University, USA, Head. laboratory of the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, head. laboratory of the Institute of Gene Biology RAS:

1. In the biological department, I would suggest truly outstanding compatriots: Evgeniy Kunin and Ruslan Medzhitov, and among Russian biologists themselves - Sergei Lukyanov.

2. I don't expect anything. In my opinion, there will be no qualitative (in the sense of scientific quality) improvement.

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Nikolay Reshetikhin, professor at the Department of Mathematical Physics at the University of California (USA), professor at the Institute of Mathematics at the University of Amsterdam (Netherlands):

1. The list can be very long. I will limit myself to just a few names of remarkable mathematicians. I'm sure I forgot someone worthy. I don’t suggest “diaspora” because it’s not realistic yet.

Stanislav Smirnov, Fedor Bogomolov, Boris Dubrovin (winners of the mega-grant competition), Anatoly Vershik, Grigory Olshansky, Boris Feigin.

2. I'm a pessimist. I don’t expect anything new, but I will be very happy if there are positive changes.

PS I suddenly realized that I don’t understand very well who “good academicians” are. Is only science taken into account or are administrative and organizational experience and qualities also needed?

Prepared by N. Demina