Ivan Oleksandrovych (06.03.1947, the village of Stari Bratushany, Yedynets’ region, Moldova) – theoretical physicist, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (Application of the method of displacements and collective variables to the study of the system of interacting bose-particles, 1974), Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (Microscopic theory of Bose-liquid, 1980), professor (1984). He graduated from the Faculty of Physics of Lviv University (1970), postgraduate studies (1973). In 1973-78 junior, 1978-80 senior researcher, 1980-84 Head of the Department of Quantum Statistics of the Lviv Department of Statistical Theory of Condensed State of the Institute of Theoretical Physics; since 1984 he has been the Head of the Department of Theoretical Physics of Lviv university; 1990–2007, Rector of Lviv University; 2007-10 Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. As a rector he launched many educational and scientific initiatives, in particular, in 1992 one of the first in Ukraine, he introduced testing for admission to Lviv University, initiated the program “Gifted Children of the Village”; as a minister he introduced external independent evaluation, created appropriate conditions for the functioning and development of the Ukrainian language in the educational and scientific sphere, introduced the principle of public administration of education, contributed to a significant expansion of the autonomy of higher educational institutions, introduced an annex to the diploma of European model, the open procedure for licensing and accreditation of higher educational institutions, strengthened the requirements for assigning academic titles of associate professors and professors, introduced reforms of inclusive education.
Scientific interests: physics of quantum liquids, theory of superficial helium, the theory of phase transitions and critical phenomena, physics of unordered systems, physics of magnetic systems, mathematical methods in theoretical physics, problems of quantum mechanics, some problems of geophysics, general theory of relativity and cosmology, the theory of stellar spectra, philosophy of science.
The head of 14 candidates and consultant of 2 doctoral dissertations.
He is the author of about 400 works, in particular, Multi-bosone density matrix at low temperatures (Theoretical mathematical physics. Vol. 23. No 2); Representation of coherent states in the theory of multi-bosone systems (Theoretical Mathematical Physics). 1978. Vol. 35. № 1); Microscopic theory of the energy spectrum of liquid 4He (Theoretical mathematical physics. 1980. Vol. 42. № 1; Co-author.); Energy Spectrum and Elementary Excitation Damping in the Structurally Disordered Ising Model in a Transverse Field (Phys. Stat. Sol. (b). 1990. Vol.160. N 1; with co-auth.); The magnetic Bose-liquid (J. Phys. Studies. 2003. Vol. 7. N 1); On Dirac theory in the space with deformed Heisenberg algebra: Exact solutions (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 2005. Vol.38); The Kepler problem in Dirac theory for a particle with positiondependent mass (J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 2005. Vol. 38); Schrodinger’s cat and the problem of two cultures (Warsaw, 2006); Quantum mechanics (Lviv, 1998, 2004, 2007); Introduction to the problem of many bodies (Lviv, 1999); Star spectra theory (Lviv, 2002).
Founder and editor-in-chief of “The Journal of Physical Research” and the journal “World of Physics”. Editor-in-Chief of “VLU. ser. phys. “, member editorial boards of magazines “Condensed Matter Physics” and “Higher education of Ukraine” (2001–10). Editor-in-Chief of the magazine “High School” (2008-10). Member of Parliament of the USSR (1989-91). Chairman of the Lviv Regional Peace Council (1991). Chairman of the Council of Rectors of Higher Educational Institutions of Lviv oblast’ (1996-2010). Chairman of the Western Physical Society (1998-2002). President of the Ukrainian Physical Society (2001–04). President of Lviv Regional Small Academy of Sciences (since 1991). Vice-President of the Union of Rectors of Universities of Ukraine (2002-07). Full member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society (since 2003). Member of the Commission of State Awards and Heraldry (since 2005). Member of the Council on Science and Scientific and Technical Policy under the President of Ukraine. Chairman of the Specialized Academic Council for Thesis Defense (since 1995). Member of the Committee on State Prizes of Ukraine in science and technology (since 2006). People’s Ambassador of Ukraine (2002). Diploma of the Presidium of the ANU (1977, 1981). Excellor of national education of the UKRAINIAN SSR (1983). Diploma of the Ministry of Public Education of Ukraine (1992). Honorary award of the President of Ukraine (1996). State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology (2000). Capitula Ukrainian-Polish Combination Award (2001). Barabashov Prize of the National Academy of Medical Science in the field of astrophysics (2004). Order of Merit of the 2nd degree (2005). Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2005). The highest award of the People’s Movement of Ukraine “For merits to the Ukrainian people” of the 2nd degree (2005). Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2005). Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine (2006). Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius (2006). Sign of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine “Petro Mohyla” (2006). Hero of Ukraine (2007). State Order of the Italian Republic “Star of Italian Solidarity” (2008). Academic Award of St. Volodymyr’s Academy of Higher Education of Ukraine (2009). Honorary Doctor of the Krakow Pedagogical Academy named after The People’s Academy (2002), University of Wroclaw (2009). Honorary Doctor of Philosophy of the Ukrainian Free University in Munich (2010).
Literature: EL. Vol. 1; Patriae decori civibus educandis. To the 60th anniversary of Professor Ivan Vakarchuk, Rector of The Ivan Franko National University of Lviv / Compiled by: L. Bartish, Y. Horblianskyi, M. Liubytska. Lviv, 2007.
V. Tkachuk