Mikhail Vladimirovich Volkenshtein (Михаи́л Влади́мирович Волькенште́йн) (October 23, 1912 – February 18, 1992) was a notable Soviet and Russian

biophysicist Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations ...

, Corresponding Member of the

Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

, Professor and

Doctor of Sciences A Doctor of Sciences, abbreviated д-р наук or д. н.; ; ; ; is a higher doctoral degree in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union and many Commonwealth of Independent States countries. One of the prerequisites of receiving a Doctor of Sciences ...

. In his publications in English his name is written as M. V. Volkenstein.

Career

He was Head of the Department of the

Institute of Molecular Biology The Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) is a modern research centre on the campus of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. It is funded by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation and the state of Rheinland Palatinate. The scientists ...

of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor of the

Moscow State University Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...

, member of the Editorial Board of the Journal ''"Molekuliarnaya Biologia"'' of the Russian Academy of Sciences, winner of the State Prize of the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Volkenshtein created the Leningrad school of polymer science in the early 1950. Tatiana Birshtein who specialised in the theoretical physics of polymers came to work there and she headed the Institute of Macromolecular Compounds.Tat'yana Maksimovna Birshtein
, Marco.ru, Retrieved 16 November 2015 Volkenshtein was author of many important scientific articles and monographs in the fields of Quantum Biophysics, Chemistry of Biopolymers, etc. He was one of the authors of the Quantum-Mechanical Model of

Enzyme Catalysis Enzyme catalysis is the increase in the rate of a process by an "enzyme", a biological molecule. Most enzymes are proteins, and most such processes are chemical reactions. Within the enzyme, generally catalysis occurs at a localized site, calle ...

Main works

* M.V. Volkenshtein, R.R. Dogonadze, A.K. Madumarov, Z.D. Urushadze and Yu.I. Kharkats, "Theory of Enzyme Catalysis".- ''"Molekuliarnaya Biologia"'', Moscow, 6, 1972, pp. 431-439 (in Russian, English summary) * M.V. Volkenshtein, R.R. Dogonadze, A.K. Madumarov, Z.D. Urushadze and Yu.I. Kharkats, "Electronic and Conformational Interactions in Enzyme Catalysis".- In: E.L. Andronikashvili (Ed.), ''"Konformatsionnie Izmenenia Biopolimerov v Rastvorakh"'', Publishing House " Nauka", Moscow, 1973, pp. 153-157 (in Russian, English summary) * M.V. Volkenshtein, "Molecules and Life: An Introduction to Molecular Biology", Plenum Pub. Corp., 1974 * M.V. Volkenshtein, "Biophysics", Publishing House "Mir", Moscow, 1983 (in English)

Honours and awards

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour () was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in sports, production, scientific research and socia ...

Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" The Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945" () was a World War II civilian labour award of the Soviet Union established on June 6, 1945 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to recognise the valian ...

* Medal "In Commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Leningrad" * Stalin Prize

Career

Main works

Honours and awards

References

See also