Scientist in the field of welding and bridge engineering, Professor, Dr.of Techn.Sci., academician of Academy of Sciences of Ukr.SSR (1929). Born in Nice in the family of the Russian diplomat. Graduated from Dresden Polytechnical Institute (1894) and Petersburg Institute of Railway Roads ( 1896). He was a teacher at Moscow Engineering College of Railway Roads ( 1989-1904) and Kiev Polytechnical Institute (1904-1938). In 1929 he organized a welding laboratory and Electric Welding Committee, on the base of which the Electric Welding Institute of the Academy of Sciences of UkrSSR was founded in Kiev in 1934. He headed this Institute to the end of his life. During 1945-1952 he was a Vice-President of the Academy of Sciences of the UkrSSR. He created the methods of design of rational bridge spans, investigated the conditions of their operation, suggested methods of restoration of damaged bridges. He carried out research works in the field of calculation and strength of welded structures, mechanization of welding processes, fundamentals of welding, supervised the development of the method of automatic submerged arc welding. During the II World War the equipment and technology of the automatic welding of special steels, tanks, bombs, etc. were implemented in defense industry under his supervision. In post-war years he headed the works in the country on the creation of fundamentals of welding, wide implementation of welding in industry; creation and implementation of assembly-welding production lines.

He supervised the designing of welded bridges. He founded a domestic school of metal welding. He was awarded high governmental and scientific awards and prizes.