Dr. Lev Gor'kov, 87, professor of physics and leading theorist at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, passed away on December 28, 2016 of natural causes. Born in Moscow, Russia, in 1929, Dr. Gor'kov was a founding member of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, Florida. Prior to moving to the United States in 1991, he was co-founder and department head of Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences and, simultaneously, chaired Theoretical Physics Problems Department in the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, one of the leading universities in the Soviet Union.
Dr. Gor’kov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Mechanics and received his doctoral degree from Kapitza Institute for Physical Problems in Moscow. He belonged to the last generation of scientists who were direct disciples of famous Soviet theorist Lev Landau. Gor'kov’s contributions to science spanned a wide range of modern physics and reflected the unique style of the Landau school. He was internationally renowned for his contribution to condensed matter physics and especially for pioneering work in the field of superconductivity. Dr. Gor'kov had been the recipient of many prestigious international awards throughout his illustrious career; he was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Physical Society; he held honorary degrees from the City University of New York and the University of Illinois. Dr. Gor'kov was awarded the Eugene Feenberg Medal, the Humboldt Research Award, the John Bardeen Prize, the Ugo Fano Medal, and the Lenin Prize, the USSR's highest award for scientific achievement.
Lev will be remembered as an accomplished scientist whose work had impacted many scientific communities. He will also be remembered as a mentor by many of his students who teach and do research in tens of universities and labs around the world; the author of the monograph that during half a century served as the table book for generations of students, and as a gentle friend who had a keen sense of humor and a penchant for making whimsical drawings. He is survived by his wife Donara Gorkova; three children and five grandchildren. A private service was held at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home. Expressions of condolences may be made at http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=LevGorkov&lc=2440&pid=183249934&mid=7228619&locale=en_US.The family wishes to thank all those who cared for him during the last weeks of his life.
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