It is with deep sorrow that we announce that on May 17, 2026, the heart of the outstanding Ukrainian scientist Yuriy Petrovych Zaychenko stopped beating. It is difficult to put into words the magnitude of this loss for Ukrainian science, the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), colleagues, students, and everyone who had the honor of knowing Yuriy Petrovych. We extend our sincere condolences to his family, loved ones, friends, and students.
Yuriy Petrovych Zaychenko (April 4, 1942 — May 17, 2026) — Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Academician of the Academy of Sciences of Higher Education of Ukraine, an outstanding Ukrainian scientist in the fields of systems analysis, automatic control systems, decision theory, and artificial intelligence, one of the founders of the Ukrainian scientific school in the field of artificial intelligence.
Yuriy Petrovych’s entire professional career was inextricably linked to the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
After graduating from KPI with honors, he devoted himself to research and teaching, rising from assistant to professor in the Department of Mathematical Methods of Systems Analysis. His lectures, scientific works, and human wisdom have shaped more than one generation of specialists in the fields of systems analysis, computer science, and artificial intelligence.
Yuriy Petrovych was one of the pioneers in the development of computational intelligence and intelligent systems in Ukraine. His scientific achievements in the fields of fuzzy models, forecasting, decision support, and modeling under uncertainty have made a significant contribution to global science. His work on the fuzzy method of group consideration of arguments, as well as his research in the field of artificial intelligence systems, gained significant recognition.
Yuriy Petrovych’s contribution to the formation of modern educational programs in the field of artificial intelligence was of particular importance for the development of the Institute of Systems Analysis and Ukrainian IT education. After moving to the Department of Mathematical Methods of System Analysis, he initiated the creation of the “Intelligent Decision-Making Systems” major within the “Computer Science” bachelor’s program, as well as the “Artificial Intelligence Systems and Methods” educational programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. These educational programs were among the first systematic training programs for artificial intelligence specialists in Ukraine and laid the foundation for the development of a leading scientific and educational school.
Educational activities also became an important part of his legacy. Yuriy Petrovych authored Ukraine’s first textbook, “Operations Research” (1998), which became a classic for training specialists in systems analysis and computer science and has been reprinted many times.
Under his leadership, a powerful scientific school was formed, and dozens of candidates and doctors of science were trained. His students now work at leading universities, research institutions, and IT companies in Ukraine and around the world.
Yuriy Petrovych is the author of over 150 scientific papers, numerous monographs, textbooks, and teaching aids. One of his most recent significant works was the monograph “Systems and Methods of Artificial Intelligence” (2025). His contribution to the development of science was recognized with high state awards, including the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology (2011).
The fond memory of Yuriy Petrovych Zaychenko will forever remain in the hearts of his colleagues, friends, students, and all those who were fortunate enough to work and interact with him. He will forever remain for us an example of a true scholar, a wise mentor, and an intelligent and kind person.
May his memory live on forever.