Gubkin University Marks the 155th Anniversary of the Birth of Its Founder and Outstanding Scientist Ivan M. Gubkin

On September 21, 2026, Gubkin University marked the 155th anniversary of the birth of Academician Ivan Mikhailovich Gubkin – the founder of Russian oil geology and the creator of the country’s system of specialized education in the field.

The commemorative events spanned both the capital and the scientist’s native region – the Navashinsky District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast – bringing together the scientific community, young people, and regions of Russia.

The celebratory day began with the traditional laying of flowers at the grave of Ivan Mikhailovich Gubkin at Novodevichy Cemetery. A university delegation led by Anton Tumanov, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy and Educational Work, and Alexander Prygaev, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Mechanics, came to honor the memory of the great scientist.

The main celebrations and the summing up of large-scale projects took place in the village of Pozdnyakovo in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, the academician’s home region. A ceremonial rally and a flower-laying ceremony at the monument to I.M. Gubkin were held here.

Vladimir Koshelev, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Gubkin University, took part in the closing ceremony and the awarding of the winners of the “Gubkin Festival of Science and Technology”, dedicated to the 155th anniversary.

The festival ran from July to September 2026 and became a unique event on a national scale. For her contribution to organizing the festival, head of the local self-government Tatyana Berseneva presented letters of appreciation to University Rector Victor Martynov and to Sergey Viryaskin, head of the Gubkin Alumni Foundation. Special gratitude for the organization was expressed to university lecturer Irina Kitaeva, who is a native of the Navashinsky District.

“The awarding of the festival winners is timed to coincide with the 155th anniversary of the birth of Academician Gubkin for good reason. Supporting talented young people – perhaps future outstanding geologist-engineers and oil workers – is a tribute to the educational tradition laid down by Ivan Mikhailovich, the founder of Russian oil and gas education,” noted Rector Victor Martynov. He recalled that Gubkin University supports career guidance programmes and specialized classes in schools in more than 20 regions of Russia in order to identify gifted schoolchildren and help them prepare for admission to specialized universities.

An important outcome of the events was Gubkin University’s intention to conclude a cooperation agreement with the library system of the Navashinsky District. The main goal of the partnership is to identify and support talented students from the regions who will in the future join the ranks of leading Russian engineers.

For Gubkin University, bearing the name of its founder is a great pride and an enduring responsibility. Within the walls of the university, the traditions laid down by Ivan Mikhailovich are carefully preserved: devotion to fundamental science, an inseparable link between theory and real production, and service to the interests of the state. The life’s work of Ivan Mikhailovich Gubkin continues to live on in every scientific discovery, in every successful graduate, and in every undertaking striving toward the technological future of our country.