A University Graduate, and a Lecturer at the School of Physics, Serhiy Hredeskul has Passed away… The University Extends its Condolences

16 october 2023 year

On October 7, 2023, due to a terrorist act in the city of Ofakim, Israel, the world lost an outstanding theoretical physicist, Professor Serhiy Hredeskul.

This is an irreparable loss for the global scientific community, the Ukrainian physics and mathematics community.

Serhiy Andriyovych was born on March 12, 1942, in the family of physicist Andriy Hredeskul.

In 1964, he graduated from Karazin University and began working at the Kharkiv Physics and Technology Institute (KhFTI) in 1968. In 1971, he joined the Low Temperature Physics Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (FTINT), where he held the position of Senior Researcher until 1991.

In 1985, he defended his doctoral dissertation and obtained the academic degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. In the same year, he was awarded the State Prize of Ukraine for his scientific achievements.

While working at KhFTI and FTINT, Serhiy Andriyovych also taught at the Institute of Statistical Physics and Thermodynamics (since 2014 - the Institute of Theoretical Physics named after Academician I. M. Lifshitz) of the School of Physics at Karazin University. He taught students courses in "Quantum Mechanics" and "Statistical Physics". Some of these students later became renowned theoretical physicists and are currently working at the Institute of Theoretical Physics. In their recollections, they emphasize that Serhiy Hredeskul passed on his enthusiasm for physics and demonstrated through his own example that one can dedicate their life to this wonderful profession.

Serhiy Hredeskul's primary area of scientific research was quantum solid-state theory, including the theory of disordered systems, the study of properties of magnetically ordered crystals, piezoelectrics, and piezo semiconductors. Alongside Ilya Lifshitz, Leonid Pastur, and young colleagues, Sergei Andriyovych conducted a series of classic works in the field of disordered systems theory. The results of these studies are summarized in their monograph, which has been a reference book for solid-state physicists for many years. The authors of this monograph were awarded the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology (1985).

In 1991, Serhiyi Hredeskul permanently relocated to Israel. From 1992 to 2012, he held the professor position at Ben-Gurion University in Be'er Sheva. During this time, he continuously published articles and reviews on various aspects of theoretical physics. These works, written in his later years, continue to stimulate and inspire physicists, just like his early contributions.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones and share the sorrow of this loss.

The memory of Serhiy Andriyovych Hredeskul will forever remain in our hearts.