Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Mehdiyev Arif Shafayat oglu was born on December 19, 1934 in Baku. In 1957 he graduated from the Moscow Electrotechnical Institute of Communications. In 1969 he became a PhD in physics, in 1984 a Doctor of science in Physics and in 1987 - Professor and in 2001 he became as an active member of ANAS.

In 1957 he began his career at the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan and from 1975 he held the positions of senior laboratory assistant, junior researcher and senior researcher. He was Deputy Director for Science at the “Khazar” Scientific Center of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan (1975-1978), Deputy Director for Science at the Institute of Space Research and Natural Resources of ANAS (1978-1982), First Deputy Director General of the Scientific and Production Association for Space Research (1982 -1991), in 1991, he became the general director of the same production association, the general director of the National Aerospace Agency of Azerbaijan (1992-2003), and the vice-president of ANAS (2001-2007).

A.Mehtiyev being the developer of important projects in the field of ground and airborne information-measuring complexes, defined the scientific principles for the development of space research methods in aerospace research, achieved high results in developing a number of information-measuring complexes and introducing new technologies in the field of space data processing - technologies of geographic information systems.

The information-measuring complexes prepared under his leadership were used by researchers from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Mongolia, and Hungary in the International Gunesh-84 experiment. During the flight of astronauts into space, researchers provided satellite observations.

For a long time A.Mehtiyev carried out research and development work on the creation of military information-measuring complexes.

A.Mekhtiyev is the author of more than 300 published scientific works, including about 50 patents. Under his leadership, about 20 PhDs and 5 Doctors of Science were trained.

He was an active member of the International Academy of Engineering, president of the Azerbaijan branch of the IEA, a member of the American Academy of Cosmonautics and Aeronautics and an active member of the UNESCO Informatization Academy, an active member of the Russian Academy of Engineering, chairman of the Radionavigation Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan and representative of the Republic of Azerbaijan of the “Radionavigation” Council on CIS countries He was awarded the title of "Honored Worker of Science and Technology" of the Azerbaijan SSR, laureate of the State Award of the Azerbaijan SSR.

He was awarded the Medal after Y.Mammadaliyev (1979), the IEA “Big Golden Medal”, the Medal of the Republic of Belarus “Francis Skorina”, the Orders of the Republic of Azerbaijan “Shohrat” (2009) and “Sharaf” (2014).

A.Mehtiyev died on December 19, 2016.