Vladimir Vasilyev, President of the Festival, Rector of ITMO University
Biography
Dr. Vladimir Vasilyev has been the rector of ITMO University since 1996. One Russia’s leading higher education and research institutions, it specializes in Information Technology, Optical Design, and Engineering. He is an active corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Education. He’s been the head of the Council of St. Petersburg Rectors since 2004 and is a member of the St. Petersburg Governor’s Technical Council.
After graduating from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute, Dr. Vasilyev joined the Leningrad Institute of Fine Mechanics and Optics, which later became ITMO University. In 1991 he became the Head of the new Department of Information Technologies. His leadership style and vision for innovation, multidisciplinary approach and the importance of partnerships with the industry earned him a prominent position within the university and the scientific community in Russia and beyond. In his capacity as the rector, he continues to promote those values through creating a unique environment for cutting-edge research, international collaboration, and education for the modern world.
Dr. Vasilyev is a prominent scientist in the fields of computer telecommunications and mathematical modeling of information systems and multifunctional equipment complexes. He is one of the creators of Russia’s joint scientific educational information environment and the «Electronic Russia» program.
Dr. Vasilyev is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the 2003 and 2005 President of the Russian Federation Award for Excellence in Education and the 2000 and 2008 Government of the Russian Federation Award for Excellence in Education. He is the Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation (2002), Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the Russian Federation (2010), and the recipient of Golden Medal of the Russian Academy of Education «For Scientific Achievements” (2011).