Vladimir Alekseevich Kirillin – Chairman of the Board of the All-Union “Znanie” Society (1963-1966)

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Vladimir Alekseevich Kirillin (1913 – 1999) – Soviet state and party figure, physicist, prominent scientist in the field of energy. Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1962; corresponding member 1953), vice-president of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1963-1965). A member of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks (since 1937). Chairman of the Board of the All-Union Znanie Society (1963-1966).

He was born in the family of Alexey Ivanovich Kirillin (1865-1936), a well-known pediatric doctor, who served in Moscow City Children’s Hospital of St. Vladimir (later named after I.V. Rusakov). His mother Lyubov Alekseevna Kirillina (maiden name Yegorova) (1883-1934) was a housewife.

After graduating from Seven-Year School № 16 in Baumansky district in June 1928, Volodya Kirillin continued his education at vocational training courses at the Moscow Pedagogical College. In June 1929 he began working at the Moscow Electrical Plant, a laborer, a mechanic’s apprentice, a fitter. In 1931 he entered the evening department of the Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MPEI). In May 1932 he went to work as a mechanic in the Moscow heating network “Mosenergo” (Mosteplosetstroy). In January 1933 he started to study at the full-time department. In July 1936 he defended his diploma project “Sokolniki heating plant with a capacity of 50 megawatts at 130 atmospheres” and became an engineer – thermal engineer.

After graduating from MPEI, he worked at the Kashirskaya GRES, and in October 1936 was called up for military service in the Navy at the Special Power Plant of the Pacific Fleet.

After demobilization in February 1938, he came to work at the Bureau of Direct Flow Boiler Engineering. In September 1938 he entered the correspondence postgraduate course at MPEI. He began to teach at MPEI and in March 1939 transferred to full-time postgraduate study. He received (the first in MPEI) Stalin postgraduate scholarship.

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, at the end of August 1941 he was drafted into the armed forces, was sent to the courses for training of officers of infantry, was a cadet, then – a teacher. He demobilized in the summer of 1943.

In 1943 he defended his PhD thesis on topic “Heat capacities of real gases and their dependence on temperature and pressure”.

In 1943-1954 (with a break from May till August 1945, when he served in the Soviet troops group in Austria) he was a party organizer, secretary of the VKP(b) committee, deputy director and lecturer of the Engineering Thermophysics Department of MPEI. Associate Professor (1946), Professor (1952). In April 1951 he defended his doctoral thesis “Investigation of thermodynamic properties of water and water steam of high parameters”. This dissertation was marked by the expert council of the Higher Attestation Commission on Thermal Engineering as the best dissertation of 1951.

In 1954-1955 he was Deputy Minister of Higher Education of the USSR, in 1955 he was Deputy Chairman of the State Committee on New Technology under the USSR Council of Ministers. From 1955 to 1962 he was head of the department of science, higher educational institutions and schools of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

In 1963-1965 he was vice-president of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. From 1965 to 1980 he was deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR and chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology of the USSR Council of Ministers.

Member of the Soviet Peace Committee.

In 1963-1966 he headed the board of the All-Union Educational Society “Znanie”, in this position he was replaced by I.I. Artobolevsky.

Chairman of the Soviet Pugwash Committee (1963-1964)

Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1962; corresponding member 1953), vice-president of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1963-1965).

In 1980-1985 he was the head of the Sector of high temperatures of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. In 1985-1988 was Academician-Secretary of the Department of Physical and Technical Sciences and Power Engineering of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1988-1994 – Advisor of the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR – RAS. Worked at the Institute of High Temperatures of the Academy of Sciences.

Editor-in-chief of journals “Thermal Power Engineering” (since 1963), “Bulletin of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR” (1963-1966), “Energy” (since 1982). Was a member of editorial board of magazines “Science and Life” and “Engineering and Physical Journal”.

He was the deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 6-10 convocations. Member of the CPSU Central Committee (1966-1981), candidate member of the Central Committee (1961-1966). Member of the Central Committee of the CPSU (1956-1961).

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