Gubkin Dynasties. The History of the Kruglov Family

Sergey Sergeevich Kruglov (Sr.): "When talking about our Kruglov dynasty, we can distinguish two lines. The first is a dynasty of mechanical engineers. The second is a pedagogical dynasty.

As for the engineering dynasty, its founder was my grandfather, Alexander Grigorievich Kruglov. He worked as a railway engineer, essentially a mechanical engineer.

And the pedagogical dynasty was started by my father, Sergei Aleksandrovich Kruglov. He was born in 1928. In 1946, he entered the Moscow Oil Institute, graduated in 1951, and then completed his postgraduate studies."

Sergey Sergeevich Kruglov (Jr.): "After graduating from the institute, my grandfather received a degree in mechanical engineering and joined the Department of Oil Refinery Equipment as an assistant. In 1962, he was elected associate professor through a competition, and in 1993, he received the position and title of professor. He continued to work in the department until 2010. So, my grandfather dedicated almost 60 years of his life to the institute."

Sergey Sergeevich Kruglov (Sr.): "During this time, he wrote over 200 scientific papers and supervised 13 PhD candidates. It was a very long professional and pedagogical journey."

It’s interesting to mention that in 1962, my father met my mother, Galina Semyonovna Sokova. She was an excellent student in his class. He singled her out and realized she was his destiny. They married that same year, and I was born in 1963.

Our entire family has always been connected to oil and gas refining equipment. After graduating, my mother worked at Giproneftemash, an industry design institute for the oil and gas refining industry. She was also a mechanical engineer and later worked at the Krasny Proletary plant, designing machine tools.

Sergey Sergeyevich Kruglov Jr.: “When I was little, my parents often left me with my grandparents. My grandmother played the piano, and my grandfather taught me mathematics. Later, he instilled in me a love of technology. We visited technical museums together—the Polytechnic Museum, military and civilian technology museums. My grandfather showed me various devices, told me how a barometer and a telescope worked, and let me use them all.

Gradually, I became very interested in technology. So, when the question of where to go to college arose, my family made the decision to study mechanical engineering at our family university.

In 2005, I enrolled in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, my home department. At that time, my grandfather was still teaching, and I even had the chance to study under him. Then I completed my bachelor's and master's degrees, and then entered graduate school. My grandfather was very happy about this and constantly showed interest in my research.

After graduating, I went to work for a design organization. My director was Alexey Georgievich Vikhman, who supervised my grandfather's dissertation. It turns out that our Gubkin family extends far beyond the university—we constantly meet graduates who are connected to our family in one way or another.

After defending my dissertation in 2016, I returned to work in my former department and have continued my teaching career ever since.

Sergey Sergeevich Kruglov (Sr.): "People often ask whether children are obligated to continue a professional lineage. I believe not. You can't put pressure on a child. You need to recognize their abilities and interests and help develop them.

But, of course, when you grow up in such a family, a love of the profession is passed on naturally.

I, too, have been drawn to technology since childhood. I studied at a physics and mathematics school, attended radio clubs, photography clubs, and did aircraft modeling. I always liked mechanisms and electronic circuits. I took apart devices and soldered small devices.

After school, without warning, I applied to MIREA. My parents were surprised, held a family meeting, and began convincing me that perhaps I was wrong. In the end, I completed my documents and entered Gubkin University. I later thanked my parents many times for this decision.

In 1980, I entered the institute. I really enjoyed studying. The group was close-knit, and we always went together to internships and events. After graduating in 1985, I stayed on to work in the department.

I remember my first serious assignment: I was tasked with developing and manufacturing a fire alarm and fire suppression system for experimental setups. Then I entered graduate school and studied contact devices in mass-transfer apparatuses.

While working on my PhD dissertation, I met the sister of a lab mate. That's how our family came to be, and in 1987, Sergei Sergeyevich Jr. was born.

After graduate school, I worked at an industry research institute, then at the Borets compressor plant, where I worked on equipment for the oil industry. I had many business trips—to Western Siberia and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. The work was challenging.

In 2011, I was invited to join the Department of Oil and Gas Processing Equipment as an associate professor. And I am very glad that fate brought me back to my beloved Gubkin University.

These truly feel like home; it's the best place to work. I've worked in many different places, and I have something to compare it to. Here, I've realized myself as a teacher and a professional. And it's especially gratifying that my son and I now work together, helping each other, and continuing our family dynasty. We have a very good university! Thank you."