Ivan Vakarchuk (; 6 March 1947 – 4 April 2020) was a Ukrainian and Soviet physicist, politician and social activist. From 1990 to 2007 and again between 2010 and 2013 he was Rector of the Lviv University. In 2007–2010 he was Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine. Hero of Ukraine (awarded on 5 March 2007), he was father of the leader of the rock band Okean Elzy Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. Biography Ivan Vakarchuk was born on 6 March 1947 in Brătușeni village (Stari Bratushany), Edineț Raion, Moldavian SSR. Education In 1965 Vakarchuk received his secondary education by finishing with honours a local middle school in Brătușeni. In 1965–1970 he studied at the Faculty of Physics at Lviv University named after Ivan Franko. In 1970–1973 he continued his studies at postgraduate research (aspirantura) of the Lviv section of condensed state statistical theory of the Institute of theoretical physics, affiliated with the UkrSSR Academy of Sciences (National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine). In 1974 he defended his candidate of Sciences (PhD) thesis "Application of the method of displacements and collective variables in the study of interacting Bose particles near absolute zero", and in 1980 his doctor of Sciences thesis "Microscopic theory of Bose liquid". Ivan Vakarchuk represented the Lviv school of statistical physics founded by academician of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Ihor Yukhnovskyi. Career In 1973–1984 Ivan Vakarchuk was working at the Lviv branch of the Institute for Theoretical Physics affiliated with the UkrSSR Academy of Sciences (now is the Institute of Condensed Matter Physics of National Academy of Sciences) as junior research fellow, senior researcher and head of Quantum Statistics department. Since 1984 he's been performing the duties of Professor, head of department of Theoretical Physics at Lviv State Ivan Franko University. On 13 November 1990 Ivan Vakarchuk was elected the rector of Lviv State University named after Ivan Franko (current name - Lviv National University named after Ivan Franko) and worked till November 2007. Later he held this office again between 2010 and 2013. During the 2004' presidential elections, Vakarchuk openly called students to vote for Viktor Yushchenko. In 2008 he took the 50th place in the Top 100 of the most influential Ukrainians, according to Reporter magazine. On December 18, 2007 Vakarchuk was appointed the Minister of education and science of Ukraine. Achievements in science Ivan Vakarchuk has the rank of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences,