Logic List Mailing Archive
Petr Hajek (1940-2016)
Petr Hjek
* 6 Feb 1940
+ 26 Dec 2016
Memorial page: http://www.ustavinformatiky.cz/petrhajek/
Petr Hjek was a renowned Czech mathematical logician with a professional
record that spans more than half a century. His work leaves a permanent
imprint in all of his research areas: set theory, arithmetic, fuzzy logic
and reasoning under uncertainty, and information retrieval; some of his
results enjoyed successful applications. Throughout his career, he worked
at the Czech Academy of Sciences, starting as a postgraduate student at
the Institute of Mathematics in 1962. During 1992-2000, he served as
director of the Institute of Computer Science; he eventually became an
emeritus scholar of the Academy.
Petr Hjek (co-)authored seven books, more than 350 research papers,
textbooks and popular articles; his works are frequently cited with the
number of citations amounting to 3000. He taught logic at the Faculty of
Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, where he was
appointed full professor in 1997, and at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences
and Physical Engineering, Czech Technical University. He also taught at
the Vienna University of Technology, where he was appointed honorary
professor in 1994. For the timespan of four decades, he would run a weekly
seminar of applied mathematical logic, and he co-founded another seminar
on mathematical logic at the Institute of Mathematics.
He served as a member of committees and editorial boards and was a
long-time member of the Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists. From
1993 he was a member of the Association for Symbolic Logic. During 1999 to
2003, and 2009 to 2015, he was the President of Kurt Gdel Society. From
1996 he was a member of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. During
1993 to 2005 he was a member of the Scientific Council of the Academy of
Sciences of the Czech Republic. His awards include the Bolzano medal from
the Academy of Sciences in 2000, a medal of the Minister of Education of
the Czech Republic in 2002, the "De scientiae et humanitate optime
meritis" medal from the Academy of Sciences in 2006, the Medal of Merit
from the President of the Czech Republic in 2006, and the Josef Hlvka
medal in 2009.
Apart from the pursuit of mathematics, Petr Hjek was an organist. He
graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague and was, for a
considerable period of time, organist on Sundays at the protestant St.
Clemens Church in Prague; since childhood years he was a member of the
Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren.
Petr Hjek was married, with two children and a grandson. He was fluent in
several languages, including German, English, and Polish. Generally
appreciated as a friendly and modest person, known for his readiness to
help and listen to others, many colleagues considered him their teacher
and mentor. He was respected for his principles, not least among these,
his stands during the communist era, when he would not enter the communist
party nor cooperate with the state security when asked to. For that
reason, for considerable periods of time he had been prevented from
advancing his career or travelling abroad.
Petr Hjek will be remembered by his colleagues, friends and students
across continents for his contributions to mathematical logic and for his
friendliness, honesty, and fortitude.
The funeral service will be held at St. Clemens church, Klimentsk street,
Prague 1, on January 14 at 2 p.m. A remembrance assembly will follow
immediately at the Institute of Computer Science, Pod Vodrenskou vez 2,
Prague 8.
Condolence messages can be sent to ics@cs.cas.cz or privately to his
family to mariehajkova@seznam.cz.
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