Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Prominent Azerbaijani geophysicist, Honored Scientist, and Academician of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Parviz Mammadov, passed away at the age of 89 on September 7, 2026.

Mammadov Parviz was born in Baku on January 12, 1937. He graduated from the Azerbaijan State Industry Institute (now Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University) with a degree in Engineering Geophysics in 1959.

In 1967, he defended his PhD dissertation in Geological and Mineralogical Sciences on “The Effectiveness of Spectral Analysis of Seismic Waves.” In 1992, he defended his doctoral dissertation on “Seismostratigraphic Investigation of the Geological Structure of the Sedimentary Cover of the South Caspian Megabasin.” He was awarded the academic title of Professor in 1993. He was elected a corresponding member of ANAS in 2001 and an Academician of ANAS in 2014.

P. Mammadov began his professional career in 1959 as a technician-operator at the Azerbaijan Scientific Research Institute of Oil Production, subsequently working as a senior radio technician, engineer-geophysicist, and senior engineer. From 1958 to 1966, he worked as a senior engineer and research fellow at the Azerbaijan Branch of the former All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Geophysics. From 1968, he worked at the Department of Geophysical Exploration Methods of the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy as an assistant, associate professor, professor, head of department, Vice-Rector for Scientific Affairs, and rector. Until his death, he served as a consulting professor at the Department of Geophysics of Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University and as head of a department at the Institute of Geology of the Ministry of Science and Education.

P. Mammadov was an internationally recognized geophysicist. He was the first to study the geological effectiveness of spectral analysis of seismic waves in geophysics and was one of the first researchers in the former Soviet Union to substantiate the effectiveness of the dynamic properties of waves in geophysical interpretation. His scientific achievements in the development of the “Seismostratigraphy” method, which made it possible to identify oil- and gas-bearing sedimentary formations in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as in the study of the South Caspian seabed and sedimentary cover, were highly recognized both in the former Soviet Union and by geophysicists in the United States and Europe. He studied the hierarchy of the South Caspian Megabasin, discovered several non-anticlinal-type oil and gas deposits offshore and recommended them for production, and conducted scientific research commissioned by a number of foreign companies. He served as a leader and participant in scientific research projects under international scientific programs.

P. Mammadov was a member of the editorial boards of four scientific journals. He served as an expert of the America-Azerbaijan Development of Science Foundation (CRDF) and the Science Fund of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR), a member of the Scientific Council of the Earth Sciences Division of ANAS, Deputy Chair of the Dissertation Council under the Institute of Geology of the Ministry of Science and Education, and Chair of the Specialized Master's Council at Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University.

P. Mammadov was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, an honorary member of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and a member of the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers. He was a full member of the International Academy of Engineering (Moscow) and a full member of the International Academy of Sciences (Vienna, Austria).

P. Mammadov was the author of more than 240 scientific works and one monograph.

Under the supervision of P. Mammadov, three Doctors of Sciences and 14 Doctors of Philosophy were trained. He was an academic advisor to two Doctors of Sciences and a scientific supervisor of two Doctors of Philosophy.

By a decision of the Eurasian Association of Geophysicists in 2005, P. Mammadov’s name was included in the encyclopedia “Outstanding Geophysicists of Russia” in recognition of his achievements in the development of geophysical science. He was the first Azerbaijani scientist to be awarded the “Outstanding Geophysicist S. G. Komarov” Medal in 2010. He was awarded Certificates of Honor by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Presidium of ANAS, received the ANAS M. Aliyev Prize in 2016, and was awarded the “Heydar Aliyev’s 100th Anniversary (1923–2023)” Jubilee Medal in 2024.

Academician Parviz Mammadov earned the deep respect of his colleagues, students, and everyone who knew him through his rich scientific legacy, high intellectual qualities, principled character, and humanity. His cherished memory will forever live on in the memory of the Azerbaijani scientific community.

May he rest in peace.

Translation by Gulhane Aghayeva, Department of Public Relations, Press, and Information, Presidium of ANAS.

© All rights reserved. When using these materials, reference to www.science.gov.az is required.