Ilya Prigogine

Born: 25 Jan, 1917 in Moscow, Russia

Ilya Prigogine was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1977 for his contributions to nonequilibrium thermodynamics, particularly the theory of dissipative structures. He was born in Moscow, Russia on January 25, 1917. He obtained both his undergraduate and graduate education in chemistry at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles. He is Regental Professor and Ashbel Smith Professor of Physics and Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. In 1967, he founded the Center for Statistical Mechanics, later renamed the Ilya Prigogine Center for Studies in Statistical Mechanics and Complex Systems. Since 1959, he has been the director of the International Solvay Institutes in Brussels, Belgium. In 1989, Prigogine was awarded hereditary nobility and personal title of Viscount by the King of Belgium. He is a member of 30 national and professional organizations, among which are the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The most recent of Prigogine's many international activities are Special Advisor to the European Community in Brussels, Belgium and Honorary Member of the World Commission of Culture and Development of UNESCO, chaired by Perez de Cuellar.

The main theme of the scientific work of Ilya Prigogine has been a better understanding of the role of time in the physical sciences and in biology. He has contributed significantly to the understanding of irreversible processes, particularly in systems far from equilibrium. The results of his work on dissipative structures have stimulated many scientists throughout the world and may have profound consequences for our understanding of biological systems.

Prigogine has received numerous national awards and prizes, including the Golden Medal of the Swante Arrhenius, Swedish Academy; Rumford Gold Medal, Royal Society of London; the Descartes Medal, Paris; Commander of the Legion of Honor, France; Imperial Order of the Rising Sun (Gold & Silver Medals), Japan; Medaille d'Or, France; Russian International Scientific Award, First "N. N. Bogolyubov Prize," Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; Medal of the President of the Italian Senate, awarded by Pio Manzu International Research Center, Italy. He has received 45 honorary degrees.