Tikhon Rabotnov

Who was Tikhon Rabotnov?

Tikhon Alexandrovich Rabotnov was a Russian plant ecologist. He was professor and head of the Department of Geobotany at Moscow State University until 1981. He was a father figure to generations of Russian plant ecologists. He conducted ground breaking studies in the regeneration of natural plant communities – studies which remained largely overlooked in the West.

He was born in Yaroslavl and graduated from the Agronomy Department of the University of Yaroslavl' in 1924, he obtained his PhD in 1936 and a ’habilitation’ for a professorship in 1950. He worked at the State Institute of Grassland Research for more than 40 years, while lecturing plant ecology at Moscow State University.