Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

A. Alizadeh was born in 1934 in Baku in an intellectual family. In 1956 he graduated from the Geological and Exploration Faculty of the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute (now Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University).

Defended his PhD degree in geology and mineralogy in 1961 and doctoral degree in 1969, was elected a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences (AAS) in 1980, and an active member in 1989. In 1990-2007 he was the academic secretary of the Division of Earth Sciences of ANAS, a vice-president of ANAS, and in 2013 was elected President of ANAS.

A. Alizadeh began his career as a technician in Surakhani oil exploration wells. In 1957 he was hired as the chief laboratory assistant at the Institute of Geology (nowadays Geology and Geophysics) of the Academy of Sciences. He has consistently worked as junior, senior research fellow. From 1970 to 1976 he was deputy director for science at the Institute of Geology, and since 1976 he is the director of the same institute.

A. Alizadeh is a prominent scientist-geologist and one of the great organizers of science. His scientific interests cover the regional stratigraphy of chalk sediments. Under the leadership and participation of A. Alizadeh, stratigraphic schemes of chalk sediments of Azerbaijan have been developed, geological processes, sedimentation and volcanogenic forms, development of the fauna during the cretaceous period, etc. rich paleontological and strarigraphic materials reflecting contemporary views on issues have been studied and summarized. Based on the scientist's many years of research, the main provisions of the theory on the Azerbaijan mollusk fauna complexes (belemnites) were presented, their classification and phylogeny were given, morphofunctional analysis was conducted, the principles of paleobioco-geographical zoning, ecology and paleontology were developed. The scientist, for the first time, identified the phases of the spatial distribution of the invertebrate period in the Mediterranean basin during the chalk period and separated paleogeographical taxa.

A. Alizadeh has done fundamental research in the realm of study of geochemical conditions of paleo-basins as a development factor and the development of biogeochemical zoning methods of the chalk basin of the Caucasus. Based on the analysis of microstructure, chemical composition and crystallochemical properties of the skeletal parts of fossil organisms, he identified the migration patterns and accumulation patterns of various chemical elements, and the paleophysiological features of different taxa. For the first time, the scientist has determined the absolute value of the paleotemperature for the chalk basins in Azerbaijan by the isotope paleothermometry ratio of O18 and O16 isotopes.

The world of science, considering the scientific services of the Azerbaijani scientist, has named the new family of belemnites as his name - "Akifibelides".

A. Alizadeh delivered lectures at the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, Baku State University. He is the author of more than 250 scientific works, 9 monographs and 6 copyright certificates. Supervised for 15 Ph.Ds.

A. Alizadeh's services were highly appreciated by the Azerbaijani government and he was awarded the Jubilee Medal for "Selfless Work", the "Sharaf ", “Shohrat”, "Istiglal" orders, and “Labor” of the 1st degree. A. Alizadeh is the Honored Scientist of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the laureate of the Azerbaijan State Prize. He was elected a foreign member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and was awarded the honorary title of "Academy of Science and Culture".