Nikolay Timofeev-Ressovsky

Nikolay Timofeev-Ressovsky

Nikolaj Vladimirovich Timofeev-Resovskij (Russian: Николай Владимирович Тимофеев-Ресовский; September 20 1900, Moscow — March 28, 1981) was a Soviet biologist. He conducted research in radiation genetics, experimental population genetics, and microevolution. His work was of special importance to Soviet biology because it stood in direct opposition to the damage done by Lysenkoism, while his life was highlighted by scientific achievements in the face of severe personal hardship.

His life was described by Daniil Granin in the novel Zubr.

He was Director of the Genetics Division as the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research in the 1930s, where he received direct funding for his research from the Third Reich, who praised him as one of the world's best geneticists and trusted him because he was an opponent of Communism. His department of genetics in Nazi Berlin was also described in a novel by Elly Welt, Berlin Wild; although fictional names were used, the characters are recognizable.