Person: Popov, Blagoj Sazdov
Blagoj Popov was a Macedonian mathematician who specialised in the application of mathematics to engineering and physics.
Mathematical Profile (Excerpt):
- The University of Belgrade was closed so Popov, together with other Macedonian mathematics students who had been studying in Belgrade, went to Bulgaria where they entered the Department of Physics and Mathematics in Sofia University in 1942.
- Popov left his studies in Belgrade and joined the new Macedonian army where he continued to serve until he was demobbed at the end of World War II.
- Popov graduated from the University of Belgrade in June 1946.
- In January 1948, Popov moved to the new Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje, as an assistant in mathematics.
- Popov, at this stage, only had a first degree in mathematics from Belgrade so, in addition to his appointment as an assistant in the Department of Mathematics, he was also a Ph.D. student.
- It is clear that Popov was fortunate both in having Mitrinovič as his Ph.D. advisor and also in arriving at a new department which was put so rapidly on a firm footing by Mitrinovič.
- In 1949, after one year as an assistant, Popov was promoted to lecturer.
- Although he still had not submitted material for a doctoral thesis, Popov began publishing high quality papers in several languages.
- When Dragoslav Mitrinovič left the University of Skopje in 1951, Popov became head of the Department of Mathematics.
- Popov was a member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts since its formation, being one of the fourteen members elected on 18 August 1967 in the National Museum of Ohrid.
- Several research visits abroad by Popov should be mentioned.
- During his visit, which will end July 20, Dr Popov will do research on special mathematical functions.
- "It will be of interest to me to become acquainted with methods of present research (in America) and an exchange of ideas." Dr Popov is the author of 35 publications on special functions and differential equations and has published a textbook on calculus.
- Dr Popov will give a seminar talk on his research at a time to be announced, according to Professor Henry W Gould of the West Virginia University Department of Mathematics who is acting as host for the National Academy of Sciences.
- Popov retired in 1987 at the age of sixty-four.
- The mathematical conference "85 Years of Professor Blagoj Popov's Life", held in his honour, was organized by the Institute of Mathematics and Institute of Informatics of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics of Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
- In the post-war years which saw the establishment and development of a new era for mathematical sciences in Balkan countries, Academician Blagoj Popov was in close collaboration with our older Bulgarian teachers and colleagues, both officially in the context of the Balkan Mathematical Union as well as on the basis of personal friendship.
Born 17 January 1923, Kochani, Serbia (now Northern Macedonia). Died 30 October 2014, Skopje, Macedonia.
View full biography at MacTutor
Tags relevant for this person:
Origin Macedonia
Thank you to the contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0! 
- Github:
-
- non-Github:
- @J-J-O'Connor
- @E-F-Robertson
References
Adapted from other CC BY-SA 4.0 Sources:
- O’Connor, John J; Robertson, Edmund F: MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive
