International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 97 (2016) 1010–1011

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhmt

In Celebration

Professor Oleg M. Alifanov on his 75th birthday

On January 1, 2016 Professor Oleg M. Alifanov celebrated his 75thbirthday.
Professor Oleg Alifanov received his Doctorate of Science inAerospace Engineering from the Moscow Aviation Institute. He isa Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Science andfull member of International Academy of Astronautics. ProfessorAlifanov is the Chief Scientist and Head of the Space Systems andRocketry Department at the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI,National Research University). He is also President of the Russian
Aviation and Space Scientific Innovation Educational Complexand Vice-President of Russian Academy of Cosmonautics n.a. K.E.
Tsiolkovsky.
Professor Oleg Alifanov was born in 1941 in Moscow. He is arenowned scientist, lecturer and organizer of educational activities
and research in the field of aerospace science and technology.
Professor Alifanov is a well-respected expert in the field of thermal
design and the testing of space and aerospace vehicles.
Professor Oleg Alifanov conceived of a fundamentally new scientific line based on inverse methods. He proposed newapproaches for solving a class of so-called ‘‘ill-posed” problems

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2016.02.070

that appear in heat and mass transfer. These methods make itpossible to carry out studies involving thermal and thermostrength states of materials and structures at near real flight conditions. This novel approach substantially improves the efficiency ofthe system under investigation and lowers the R&D costs for boththe spacecraft thermal protection and control systems.
Professor Oleg Alifanov has authored and/or co-authored morethan 400 scientific publications that include 14 books, 3 encyclopedias, and 41 inventions and patents. Among his past students are 8
professors and 17 PhDs. Finally, he is a member of 6 Russian and 4
International Scientific Journals.
Prof. Alifanov has received several awards, among them are theUSSR State Prize, the Prizes of the President and the Government ofRussia, the Frank J. Malina Astronautics Medal from the International Astronautical Federation, the Emile Prize from the International Astronautical Federation which is the highest award
granted by International Astronautical Federation – A.D. Emile
Award, the Diploma di Merito, and the Gold Medal of EuropeanChambers.
Professor Alifanov actively promotes international cooperationand information exchanges through his participation in theInternational Astronautical Federation (IAF) and the International
Academy of Astronautics. He began participating as an IAF volunteer
in 1989 and has since served as the representative of MAI to theFederation, as an author, session chair and coordinator as a memberof the IAF Space Systems, Space Education and Outreach, Materials
and Structures of Spacecraft and Nominations committees.
Professor Alifanov is one of the founders of the ICAS Cosmos
and the RESIC of Airspace Industry. He has made significant
contributions and strides into developing cooperations between
universities and aerospace institutes in Russia and other countries. He has presented numerous scientific lectures and papers
at universities, including the International Space University(ISU), research institutes and industrial enterprises around theworld.
On this occasion of his 75th birthday, a great many friends,
students and colleagues worldwide, as well as the editors of theInternational Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, all wish Professor
Alifanov a most wonderful Happy 75th Birthday with many thanks
for all of his valuable contributions, outstanding service, andleadership. Professor Alifanov has inspired others through his hard

In Celebration / International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 97 (2016) 1010–1011

work, scientific contributions, physical insight and forward
thinking throughout his prestigious career. We wish Professor
Alifanov and his family continued prosperity, great health andhappiness!

1011

James V. Beck
Leonid A. Dombrovsky
George S. Dulikravich
Ashley F. EmeryJay I. FrankelYvon Jarny
Anatoliy A. Koroteev⇑Alexander I. Leontiev
Daniel Lesnic
Natalia V. Medvetskaya
Alena V. Morzhukhina
Aleksey V. Nenarokomov
Helcio R.B. OrlandeHans-Jürgen Reinhardt
Sergey A. Rukoline
Constantinos P. Stavrinidis
Keith A. Woodbury
Russian Academy of Sciences, 17A Krasnokazarmennaya Str., IVT RAN,NCHMT, Moscow 111116, Russia⇑ Corresponding author.
E-mail address: nchmt@iht.mpei.ac.ru (A.I. Leontiev)
Available online 14 March 2016