Nikolai Smirnov (mathematician)

Nikolai Vasilyevich Smirnov
Born	(1900-10-04)4 October 1900 Moscow, Russian Empire
Died	2 June 1966(1966-06-02) (aged 65) Moscow, Soviet Union
Nationality	Soviet Union
Known for	Kolmogorov–Smirnov test
Awards	State Prize of the U.S.S.R., Order of the Red Banner of Labor
Scientific career
Fields	Mathematician

Nikolai Vasilyevich Smirnov (Russian: Николай Васильевич Смирнов) (4 October 1900 – 2 June 1966) was a Soviet Russian mathematician noted for his work in various fields including probability theory and statistics.

In 1926, Smirnov obtained his first degree from Moscow University; and, in 1938, his doctoral degree, which served as the foundation for his work on non-parametric tests. In 1938, Smirnov became a researcher at the V.A. Steklov Institute of Mathematics of the Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R. In 1957, he was made the Head of Mathematical Statistics.

Smirnov's principal works in mathematical statistics and probability theory are devoted to the investigation of limit distributions by means of the asymptomatic behaviour of multiple integrals as the multiplicity is increased with limit. He was one of the creators of the non-parametric methods in mathematical statistics and of the theory of limit distributions of order statistics.

Honours

Smirnov received the State Prize of the U.S.S.R. in 1951. He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and several medals.