History of the Laboratory of Representation Theory
and Computational Mathematics

• The laboratory was founded in 1948 by Leonid Kantorovich, an outstanding mathematician and economist, Nobel Prize laureate (1975), the founder of linear programming, one of the pioneers of applying mathematical methods in economics and engineering. The original title of the laboratory was "Department of approximate computations ".
  


• A great contribution to theoretical development of numerical methods for solving differential and algebraic systems of equations was made by L.V.Kantorovich, D.K.Faddeev, S.G.Mikhlin, V.N.Faddeeva, M.I.Gavurin, K.E.Chernin. The research in this area involved V.S.Vladimirov, Kh.L. Smolitsky, V.N.Kublanovskaya, V.I.Il'in and younger mathematicians V.V.Buslavsky, O.K.Daugavet, L.T.Petrova, T.N.Smirnova and others.
  


• From the late 50s the main direction of research becomes more theoretical. Now the laboratory is called "Laboratory of computational mathematics " and is headed by Professor V.N.Faddeeva. The research concentrates on computational methods in linear algebra with applications to functional equations. Great developments in this area are due to D.K.Faddeev (the head of the Laboratory of Algebra) and V.N.Faddeeva as well as S.G.Mikhlin, V.P.Il'in (who headed the Laboratory after the death of V.N.Faddeeva), V.N.Kublanovskaya. They were joined by new members: T.Ya.Kon'kova, K.V.Shaumyan, M.N.Yakovlev, T.V.Tushkina, V.N.Simonova, N.B.Stsiborskaya and others. The laboratory members have published several books (among them a well known monography by V.N.Faddeeva and D.K.Faddeev "Computational methods in linear algebra").
  


• In the late 70s, when the complexity theory appears and becomes very popular, the laboratory changes again its main research area. Now the laboratory is called "Laboratory of algorithmic methods ". It is headed by D.Yu.Grigoriev, one of the leading experts in the complexity theory. A new series of the journal "Zapiski nauchnyh seminarov LOMI" called "Theory of complexity of computations" is started. New laboratory members - I.N.Ponomarenko, N.N.Vorob'ev (Jr.) - work on algebraic questions in complexity theory. The group of computational methods continues its research.
  


• From the early 90s a new period for the laboratory begins. From 1992 it is headed by Professor A.M.Vershik. He proposes essentially new research directions. Now the laboratory is called "Laboratory of representation theory and computational mathematics". V.N.Kublanovskaya and a new member L.Yu.Kolotilina continue active work in the group of computational methods. But now the main research interests of the laboratory concentrate on the representation theory of groups and algebras, its applications and related problems of analysis, geometry, combinatorics, optimization. Another research area is the theory of dynamical systems, in particular, ergodic theory, approximation, relations to algebra and arithmetics. New members of the laboratory are A.M.Vershik's pupils - S.V.Kerov, N.E.Mnev. Continuing his work on complexity theory, I.N.Ponomarenko starts to work in the new areas. M.I.Gordin, S.A.Evdokimov, A.N.Livshits, A.A.Lodkin, K.P.Kokhas, Ph.D. students N.A.Sidorov, N.V.Tsilevich, Yu.V.Yakubovich, I.A.Pushkarev and others actively collaborate in the laboratory research.