He was born in Rostov-on-Don, in the family of a mining engineer. He graduated from Rostov State University in 1948, and in 1952 proposed solutions to the Hilbert's fifth problem and defended his thesis in Moscow State University.

In 1956 he began working in computer science and worked in Kyiv as a Director of the Computational Center of the Academy of Science of Ukraine.

He made contributions to the theory of automata. He and his followers (Kapitonova, Letichevskiy and other) successfully applied that theory to enhance construction of computers. His book on that topic "Synthesis of Digital Automata" became well known. For that work, he was awarded the Lenin Prize in 1964 and elected as a Member of the Academy of Science of USSR.

He greatly influenced many other fields of theoretical computer science (including the theory of programming and artificial intelligence) as well as its applications. He published nearly 800 printed works.

One of his great practical goals was the creation of a National Automatized System of Administration of Economy. That very ambitious and probably too early project started in 1962 and received great opposition from many communist leaders.

Viktor Glushkov founded Kyiv-based Chair of Theoretical Cybernetics and Methods of Optimal Control at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1967 and a Chair of Theoretical Cybernetics at Kyiv State University in 1969. The Institute of Cybernetics of National Academy of Science of Ukraine, which he created, was named after him.

In the photo: Victor Glushkov

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