Victor Anatolievich Matveev is an outstanding theoretical physicist and science organizer, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Leader of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna. V. Matveev was born on 11 December 1941, in Taiga, Novosibirsk Region (at present Kemerovo Region), USSR. Having entered Far Eastern State University, Department of Physics and Mathematics, in 1964 he graduated from Leningrad State University, Department of Physics (V. Fock’s Chair).

V. Matveev began his academic career at the Laboratory of Theoretical Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna. In 1967 he defended his PhD thesis “Dispersion Sum Rules and Symmetry Properties of Elementary Particles” and in 1972 Doctoral thesis “Quasipotential Approach in the Theory of Strong Interactions at High Energies”.

V. Matveev is a brilliant representative of the famous scientific school created by N. Bogoliubov, under whose leadership his talents as a researcher in the field of theoretical physics were revealed in the unique and favourable atmosphere of scientific creativity. In 1965–1966, V. Matveev together with B. Struminsky and A. Tavkhelidze carried out works that played a key role in the creation of the quark theory of hadrons. They contributed strongly to development of the model of coloured quarks as well as quark theory of electromagnetic and weak decays of mesons and baryons. The explanation of electromagnetic mass splitting in isotope hadron multiples and the interpretation of the higher hadron resonance as excitations of quark systems were also proposed.

Working in Dubna, V. Matveev made a considerable contribution to the development of a relativistic approach to the description of composite systems in quantum field theory and methods of quantum field theory for studying high-energy scattering. In 1973, with a group of co-authors he was awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize for a series of studies “Approximate Methods of Quantum Field Theory in High-Energy Physics”.

The key direction of V. Matveev’s studies is a search for dynamic symmetries in high-energy physics and detection of common regularities that manifest themselves in particle interactions. In a series of works carried out jointly with R. Muradyan and A. Tavkhelidze, the automodelity hypothesis was formulated, which allowed developing a common approach to the description of phenomena of large-scale invariant behavior of deep-inelastic and inclusive processes at high energies. Based on the representations of scale invariance and the quark-independent model, well-known Matveev–Muradyan–Tavkhelidze quark counting rules were obtained, expressing the general regularities of elastic hadron scattering. This work was registered as a discovery in 1987.

The contribution of Academician V. Matveev to the development of quantum field theory methods and relativistic quark model of hadrons, the creation of quark model of nuclei and the study of the effects of quark degrees of freedom in nuclei and vacuum structure in gauge theories is widely known. He introduced the notions of hidden colour of nuclei, which play an important role in describing the structure of experimentally observed multi-quark hadron states, and pointed out the fundamental importance of quark degrees of freedom for understanding the structure of nuclei at short distances. V. Matveev’s contribution to the theory of coloured quarks, quark model of hadrons and nuclei was recognized by the Lenin Prize, which was awarded to the team of co-authors in 1988.

In a series of works carried out jointly with V. Rubakov, A. Tavkhelidze, V. Tokarev and M. Shaposhnikov, the problem of instability of baryonic matter at ultrahigh baryon densities was first raised and solved. The work with N. Krasnikov on the analysis of the potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in terms of the search for supersymmetry in the physics of fundamental interactions was highly resonant. Approach to the formulation and study of gauge theories in terms of light front variables developed by V. Matveev and G. Pivovarov aroused great interest.

Academician V. Matveev made a valuable personal contribution to the realization of unique scientific projects in the fields of particle physics and nuclear physics, neutrino physics and neutrino astrophysics, including such projects as the creation of the experimental complex of the Moscow Meson Factory at the RAS Troitsk Science Center, the Baksan Neutrino Observatory in the North Caucasus with a unique underground Gallium–Germanium Neutrino Telescope for solar neutrino physics, and the project of a large-scale deep-underwater neutrino telescope in Lake Baikal. In recent years, Victor Anatolievich took an active part in the implementation of the mega-science project NICA as well as the production and commissioning of the unique Superheavy Element Factory.

Since 1978, V. Matveev has been working at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the USSR Academy of Sciences, first as Deputy Director, and since 1987 as Director of the Institute. Under his supervision, the key scientific directions of the Institute were developed — physics of neutrino and neutrino astrophysics, research with the use of high-current proton beams. In December 1996, V. Matveev chaired the Presidium of the Troitsk Scientific Center of the RAS; from February 1997 to March 2013, he was the Chairman of the Presidium of the RAS Troitsk Science Center, member of the Presidium of the RAS Troitsk Science Center. Victor Anatolievich gives much effort to the creation and development of the basic facilities of the Institute for Nuclear Research — the high-current accelerator and experimental complex of the Moscow Meson Factory, neutrino telescopes and ground-based facilities of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory, deep-underwater neutrino telescope in Lake Baikal, the “Troitsk nu-mass” facility. Under his leadership, a world-class unique research facility was produced at the Institute for Nuclear Research — a pulsed neutron source, which was launched in 1998. For more than 15 years Academician V. Matveev headed the work on the development and effective use of unique facilities and scientific complexes, supporting the activities of the state scientific centers as a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In 1998, in a group of co-authors he was awarded the Russian Federation State Prize in Science and Technology “For the Construction of the Baksan Neutrino Observatory and Research in the Field of Neutrino Astrophysics, Particle Physics and Cosmic Rays”. In 2001, Victor Anatolievich and his colleagues from the Institute for Nuclear Research of RAS became laureates of the Russian Government Prize “For the Development, Construction and Commissioning for Scientific Exploitation of the High-Current Linear Proton Accelerator of the Moscow Meson Factory”.

In 2008–2013, V. Matveev headed the RAS Physical Sciences Division being its Academician-Secretary; he was elected Academician of the International Association of Academies of Sciences and a foreign member of the Academies of Sciences of Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan.

In 2011, Academician V. Matveev was elected Director of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and headed this international organization until 2020. Here, he fully demonstrated the talent and inexhaustible energy of a world-renowned scientist in a vast area of international scientific cooperation of JINR with its Member States and many other countries in the joint implementation of scientific projects and tasks in fundamental physics and related fields of science.

The contribution of V. Matveev to the development of large-scale international cooperation with national and world scientific centers is significant. Thanks to his efforts, the collaboration is strengthened between INR RAS and JINR with national laboratories, scientific centers and universities in Italy, the United States, Germany, France, and other countries, with the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN. His fruitful activities in international organizations serve to maintain the high prestige of science in Russia, JINR Member States in the world community, and to expand the participation of Russian scientists and JINR in advanced scientific research. In 1976–1977, V. Matveev headed a group of physicists and specialists of the USSR and JINR at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Batavia, USA). Since 1997, V. Matveev has been the Chairperson of the Russia and Dubna Member States Collaboration Board in the CMS Project at CERN LHC.

For many years and up to now V. Matveev has been coordinating the cooperation of scientific organizations of Russia with scientists and specialists of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Italy. He made a significant contribution to the establishment of the Neutrino Laboratory in the Alps, where a neutrino signal during the gravitational collapse of Supernova 1987A was first detected, and to the creation of a unique large-volume neutrino detector (LVD) at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory (Italy), performing the search and study of supernovae.

As a member of the international NA64 collaboration at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron, Victor Anatolievich made a significant contribution to the unique research on Dark Matter, in particular, to define possible limits and boundaries by mass and mixing angle with matter fields in the case of dark photons, as well as axion-like particles. In 2011–2019, he was a guest lecturer at the CERN–JINR International Schools on High-Energy Physics for young scientists.

V. Matveev successfully combines the multifaceted scientific and scientific-organizational activities with the work on the education of young scientists: founder (1995), head, Professor of the Chair “Fundamental Interactions and Cosmology” of MIPT; member of the Supervisory Board of NRNU MEPhI; since 2013, Head of Chair 11 EMNP, NRNU MEPhI. He created an international school of theoretical physicists, widely known for pioneering results in the field of particle physics and quantum field theory. Many of his students became famous scientists, successfully work in Russian and foreign scientific centres.

Victor Anatolievich is distinguished by a high sense of responsibility, devotion to science, dedication, and exceptional efficiency. These qualities are combined with intelligence, kindness, and warm-hearted attitude to people.

V. Matveev is a laureate of the Lenin Komsomol Prize in Science and Technology (1973), Lenin Prize (1988), Russian Federation State Prize in Science and Technology (1998), Russian Government Prize in Science and Technology (2000), Markov Prize (2015); Honorary Professor of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Saint Petersburg State University, Honorary Doctor of Ioffe Physical-Technical Institute and NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, Honorary Professor of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, the University of Bucharest, National University of Mongolia; Editor-in-Chief of the RAS journal “Surface Investigation: X-Ray, Synchrotron and Neutron Techniques” (since 2014), Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Physics of Elementary Particles and Atomic Nuclei” (since 2015), Member of the Particle and Nuclear Astrophysics and Gravitation International Committee (PaNAGIC) of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) (1998–2006), Member of the General Assembly of the Astroparticle Physics European Consortium (APPEC); organizer (2006, Moscow) and co-organizer of international conferences on high-energy physics (2008–2020).

V. Matveev was awarded the titles “Honorary Citizen of Troitsk” (2001), “Honorary Citizen of Dubna (2021), “Honored Scientist of the Moscow Region”, twice awarded with the Moscow Region Governor’s Badge of Honor “Thank you”, listed in the Moscow Region’s Book of Fame, medal “In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow”, Order of Honor, Orders “For the Merit to the Fatherland”, III class, “For the Merit to the Fatherland”, IV class, National Order of Merit (France) for a considerable personal contribution to the development of international scientific cooperation.