Vladimir Aleksandrovich Kotelnikov
Владимир Александрович Котельников
1908–2005
○ Natural causes, aged 97
The scientist–head of state who discovered the sampling theorem and led the first radar probe of Venus
When the Eduard Rhein Foundation awarded its prize in 1999 for a paper written 66 years earlier, the 91-year-old Kotelnikov said: 'I was just solving the problem that lay before me.'
A pioneer of information theory and radar astronomy. In 1933 he formulated the sampling theorem (Kotelnikov's theorem); in 1941 he independently proved the absolute security of the one-time pad and created the theory of optimum noise immunity. He directed the first radar probes of Venus (1961) and Mercury (1962), opening planetary radar astronomy. During WWII he built encrypted voice communications; after the war he trained a generation of Soviet electronics engineers at MPEI. He served as director of IRE (1954–1988), vice-president of the Academy of Sciences (1970–1988), and chairman of the RSFSR Supreme Soviet (1973–1980). Twice Hero of Socialist Labour, Lenin Prize laureate, and IEEE Bell Medal recipient.
Career Timeline
- 1930–1941Graduated MPEI; engineer at Communications Research Institute; lecturer and laboratory head at MPEI
- 1933Published the sampling theorem (Kotelnikov's theorem)
- 1939–1942Led development of the Sobol-P encrypted voice communications system
- 1941–1944Developer in the telecommunications industry during the war
- 1944–1980Full professor at MPEI; dean of radio-engineering faculty (1947–1953); director of OKB MPEI (1948–1953)
- 1954–1988Director, Institute of Radio-engineering and Electronics, USSR Academy of Sciences
- 1970–1988Vice-president and First Vice-president, USSR Academy of Sciences
- 1973–1980Chairman, Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR (republican head of state)
- 1981–1992Chairman, Intercosmos Council, USSR Academy of Sciences