Nikolay Zhukovsky (scientist)

Nikolay Yegorovich Zhukovsky (1847 to 1921) was a Russian scientist, mathematician and engineer regarded as a founding father of modern aerodynamics and hydrodynamics. He was the first to provide a rigorous mathematical explanation of how a wing generates aerodynamic lift, work that underpins the Kutta-Joukowski theorem he is jointly credited with alongside the German mathematician Martin Kutta, and the related Joukowsky transform used in early airfoil design. For this foundational contribution to explaining flight mathematically rather than only through empirical trial, he is widely referred to as the father of Russian aviation, and his theoretical work directly shaped the design of early twentieth century aircraft wings in Russia and internationally. He taught and conducted research in Moscow for most of his career, training a generation of Russian aeronautical engineers who went on to found the country's aviation research institutions. His name is honored in numerous Russian technical institutes and in the crater Zhukovsky on the Moon.