Honoring Azerbaijani professor of UC, Berkeley Lotfi Zadeh with Nizami Ganjavi Gold Medal of Azerbaijan

The University of California, Berkeley Professor Lotfi Zadeh, who is of Azerbaijani descent, is the father of the fuzzy logic and fuzzy sets theories widely applied in many spheres of technological and economic development. His 1965 paper on fuzzy sets is one of the most cited of the 20th century, and has given rise to over 50,000 patents just between Japan and the United States. Fuzzy logic is now an essential part of popular consumer technologies - like video cameras or washing machines - and other more sophisticated technologies used in medicine and the automobile and railway industries.

Recognizing tremendous value of Zadeh’s scientific work, Azerbaijan’s National Academy of Sciences awarded him in April 2016 the Nizami Ganjavi Gold Medal of Azerbaijan.

On September 7, 2016 the UC, Berkeley hosted an event on this occasion.

At the event, the Nizami Ganjavi Gold Medal was presented to the Professor by Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev.

Opening the event, Professor S. Shankar Sastry, Dean of the College of Engineering of UC, Berkeley and the former student of Professor Zadeh, congratulated him on the award and expressed his gratitude to the Republic of Azerbaijan for recognizing the scientific contributions of the Professor.

Then a short video on Azerbaijan was screened. Following the screening, Azerbaijan’s Consul General Nasimi Aghayev was given the floor. In his remarks, the Consul General noted that Azerbaijan has always highly appreciated Professor Zadeh’s tremendous academic contributions. He mentioned that the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev awarded Lotfi Zadeh in 2011 the Friendship Order of Azerbaijan for his services in the advancement of science and his efforts in strengthening the intercultural dialogue.

Aghayev also read out the special message from Professor Akif Alizadeh, President of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, addressed to Zadeh. After that, the Consul General presented the Gold Medal to the Professor.

Speaking afterwards, Professor Zadeh thanked the Republic of Azerbaijan for this recognition. He said that despite many years of geographic separation, “Azerbaijan has always had and continues to have a special place in my heart”. Commending Azerbaijan’s current development and rapid modernization, Professor Lotfi Zadeh noted that all these achievements of Azerbaijan as a free and independent nation were outcomes of the wise leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. “Thanks to President Aliyev’s leadership, Azerbaijan today is not only widely respected in its region, but also internationally the country enjoys much recognition and admiration,” Zadeh said.

Professor of the Azerbaijan University of Technology Shahnaz Shahbazova and UC, Berkeley Professor James Demmel, both of whom have been working with Lotfi Zadeh for years, also shared their remarks, informing the audience about Zadeh’s theories and academic achievements.