Naučna biografija profesora Miodraga Petkovića
Profesor Miodrag Petković je rođen 1948. godine u Nišu. Diplomirao je na Elektronskom fakultetu u Nišu 1972. godine, a aprila 1973. izabran je za asistenta-pripravnika pri Katedri za matematiku Elektronskog fakulteta u Nišu. Čitav svoj radni vek, sve do penzionisanja 1. oktobra 2015, proveo je na Elektronskom fakultetu u Nišu. Doktorsku disertaciju iz oblasti Numeričke analize odbranio je 1980. Za docenta je izabran 1981, za vanrednog profesora 1986, a za redovnog profesora 1991. godine.
Naučno-istraživački rad prof. Petkovića traje u kontinuitetu četiri decenije. Oblasti njegovog istraživanja su intervalna matematika, numerička analiza, primenjena kompleksna analiza, kompleksnost algoritama i računarske nauke. Inicijator je i predvodnik niške škole Intervalne matematike koja je međunarodno priznata i prepoznatljiva, i jedan je od vodećih svetskih matematičara u oblasti Teorije iterativnih procesa. Učesnik je naučno-istraživačkih projekata koje je finansiralo Ministarstvo za nauku Republike Srbije neprekidno od 1973. godine, a poslednjih 14 godina (2006-2019) bio je rukovodilac dva projekta.
Prof. Petković je autor ili koautor 270 naučnih radova, od kojih je 153 objavljeno u renomiranim internacionalnim časopisima sa Clarivate Analytics (ex-Tomson-Rojters) SCI liste, dok je 8 radova objavljeno u formi poglavlja u monografijama i specijalnim zbornicima sa međunarodnih konferencija. Radovi prof. Petkovića citirani su oko 2200 puta (na osnovu Scopus baze), 170 puta u knjigama i monografijama drugih autora, dok broj citata monografija iznosi oko 900. Prema Scopus bazi, h (Hirsch) faktor profesora Petkovića jednak je 26. Na osnovu broja objavljenih SCI radova u periodu 2006-2012, profesor Petković se našao na listi Tomson-Rojtersa publikovanoj u Špringerovom časopisu Scientometrics (2014) među 13 najproduktivnijih srpskih naučnika (računajući sve naučne discipline).
Napisao je 30 knjiga na srpskom, engleskom i korejskom jeziku, od kojih se izdvajaju 4 monografije u izdanju vodećih svetskih izdavača Springer (1989, 2008), Wiley (1998) i Elsevier (2013). Takođe je publikovao 3 monografije od nacionalnog značaja, 3 univerzitetska udžbenika i 20 knjiga iz popularne matematike.
Prof. Petković je bio mentor 8 doktorskih disertacija, supervizor 4 doktorske disertacije u inostranstvu i mentor 5 magistarskih teza. Pod njegovim mentorstvom urađeno je i oko 30 diplomskih radova na Elektronskom fakultetu iz oblasti primenjene matematike i računarskih nauka.
Prof. Petković je bio gostujući profesor na univerzitetima u Oldenburgu (Nemačka, 1989, 2001), Strazburu (Francuska, 1992) i Cukubi (Japan, 2001). Godine 1990. izabran je za profesora (stalna pozicija u zvanju Associate Professor) na univerzitetu u Orlandu (SAD), ali je ipak ostao veran Elektronskom fakultetu u Nišu. Godine 1993. dobio je poziciju Outstanding MONBUSHO Professor u Japanu, visoko priznanje za naučnike van Japana.
Profesor Petković je boravio na više od 20 univerziteta u Evropi, Japanu i Sjedinjenim Američkim Državama, uključujujući i nekoliko koji pripadaju samom svetskom vrhu. Kao istraživač ili predavač po pozivu gostovao je na univerzitetima u Evropi (University of London-Birkbeck College, ETH (Cirih), Humbolt univerzitet (Berlin), univerziteti u Frajburgu, Beču, Kilu, Oldenburgu, itd.), Japanu (University of Tokio, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Tokio), Waseda university (Tokio), univerziteti u Cukubi (2003), Nagoji, Macujami i Kjotu) i SAD (Columbia University, Harvard university, Naval Postgraduate Study (Monterej), Stanford university).
Prof. Petković je bio predavač po pozivu na dva svetska kongresa (Tampa (SAD, 1992) i Atina (1996)) i pet međunarodnih konferencija (Oldenburg, Kil, Minhen (2001,2003), Macujama). Učestvovao je sa radovima na 60 konferencija i kongresa. Godine 1998. bio je ko-organizator međunarodne konferencije „Iterative Processes for Solving Equations” na Univerzitetu u Kilu (Nemačka). U dužem vremenskom periodu bio je editor u dva visoko rangirana Elzevirova časopisa J. Computational and Applied Mathematics i Applied Mathematics and Computation i član editorskih odbora časopisa J. Applied Mathematics, Reliable Computing, J. Mathematics and Computing Systems, Journal of Complex Analysis, Mathematical Aeterna. Za više od 30 renomiranih časopisa napisao je oko 800 recenzija, a bio je i recenzent više monografija poznatih svetskih izdavača (Springer, SIAM, Princeton University Press, Walter de Gruyter). Za dugogodišnji editorski i recenzentski rad, najveći svetski izdavač u oblasti naučne literature Elzevir dodelio mu je 2019. počasnu titulu Honorary Editor.
U toku naučne karijere sarađivao je sa velikom brojem profesora iz inostranstva, uključujući i velikane svetske matematike i kompjuterskih nauka kao što su Piter Henrici (ETH), Hsinag Kung (Harvard university), Stiven Smejl (UCLA), Stiven Epinger (Massachussets Institute of Technology) i Džozef Traub (Columbia university).
Profesor Petković je zbog svojih naučnih doprinosa dva puta je bio kandidovan za dopisnog člana SANU (2012. i 2015.). U periodu od 2010. do 2015. bio je član Nacionalnog saveta za nauku Republike Srbije. Dobitnik je godišnje nagrade „11. januar” grada Niša za 2013. godinu za izuzetan naučni doprinos. Član je Srpskog naučnog društva, Njujorške akademije nauka, Američkog društva matematičara (AMS), GAMM-a i Društva matematičara Srbije.
Profesor Petković je poznat i priznat u zemlji i svetu kao veoma aktivan popularizator matematike. U ovoj oblasti napisao je 20 knjiga, od kojih su Mathematics and Chess (Dover Publ., New York, 1997) i Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians (American Mathematical Society, Providence, 2009) (prevedena i na korejski jezik, u pripremi je izdanje na vijetnamskom jeziku) veoma dobro ocenjene i visoko rangirane u svetu u oblasti popularne nauke sa preko 440 citata. U okviru svog rada na popularizaciji nauke, održao je oko 20 predavanja u zemlji i inostranstvu i napisao oko 100 naučno-stručnih članaka.
Scientific biography of professor Miodrag Petković
Professor Miodrag Petković was born in 1948 in Niš, in the former Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Faculty of Electronic Engineering at the University of Niš in 1972 and was appointed a teaching assistant at the Department of Mathematics of the same faculty in April 1973. He remained at the Faculty of Electronic Engineering until his retirement on October 1, 2015. He earned his Ph.D. in 1980 with a dissertation in the field of numerical analysis. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 1981, Associate Professor in 1986, and Full Professor in 1991.
Professor Petković’s research career spans more than four decades, focusing on interval mathematics, numerical analysis, applied complex analysis, algorithm complexity, and computer science. He is the founder and head of the internationally recognized Niš School of Interval Mathematics and is regarded as one of the world’s leading experts in the theory of iterative processes. Since 1973, he has participated continuously in research projects funded by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Serbia, and he served as the principal investigator for several national projects between 2006 and 2019.
He is the author or coauthor of 270 scientific papers, including 153 published in leading international journals indexed by Thomson Reuters/Clarivate (SCI list). Eight of his papers appear as chapters in monographs or conference proceedings. His work has been cited around 2,200 times according to Scopus, with approximately 900 citations of his monographs and 170 citations in books and monographs by other authors. As of 2025, his Scopus h-index is 26. Due to his publication record during the period 2006–2012, Professor Petković was listed among the 13 most prolific Serbian scientists across all disciplines, as reported by Scientometrics (Springer, 2014).
He has (co-)authored 30 books in Serbian, English, and Korean. Four of his monographs were published by leading international publishers: Springer (1989, 2008), Wiley (1998), and Elsevier (2013). In addition, he authored three nationally ranked monographs, three university textbooks, and 20 books in the field of recreational mathematics.
Professor Petković has supervised eight doctoral dissertations and mentored four doctoral theses abroad, along with five master’s theses and 30 undergraduate diploma theses in applied mathematics and computer science.
He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Oldenburg (Germany, 1989 and 2001), the University of Strasbourg (France, 1992), and the University of Tsukuba (Japan, 2001). In 1990, he was appointed Associate Professor at the University of Orlando (USA), but he chose to remain loyal to the Faculty of Electronic Engineering in Niš.
Throughout his career, Professor Petković has been a guest at more than 20 universities in Europe, Japan, and the USA, including prestigious institutions such as Birkbeck College (University of London), ETH Zurich, Humboldt University (Berlin), and universities in Freiburg, Vienna, and Kiel; the University of Tokyo, Waseda University, and institutions in Tsukuba, Nagoya, Matsuyama, and Kyoto; as well as Columbia University, Harvard University, Stanford University, and the Naval Postgraduate School (Monterey, USA).
He was an invited speaker at two world congresses (Tampa, USA, 1992; Athens, Greece, 1996) and five international conferences (Oldenburg, Kiel, Munich [2001, 2003], Matsuyama), and has participated in over 60 scientific conferences and congresses. In 1998, he co-organized the international conference Iterative Processes for Solving Equations at the University of Kiel.
Professor Petković serves as an editor for two highly ranked Elsevier journals—Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics and Applied Mathematics and Computation—and sits on the editorial boards of Journal of Applied Mathematics, Reliable Computing, Journal of Mathematics and Computing Systems, Journal of Complex Analysis, and Mathematical Aeterna. He has written about 700 review reports for over 30 leading scientific journals and reviewed several monographs for prestigious publishers, including Springer, SIAM, Princeton University Press, and Walter de Gruyter. In recognition of his editorial and reviewing contributions, Elsevier appointed him Honorary Editor in 2019. In 2021, he served as Guest Editor of a special issue of the Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics dedicated to the journal’s co-founder, Professor Luc Wuytack.
During his distinguished career, Professor Petković has collaborated with renowned scientists such as Peter Henrici (ETH), Hsiang Kung (Harvard University), Stephen Smale (UCLA), Steven Eppinger (MIT), and Joseph Traub (Columbia University).
For his scientific achievements, he was nominated for membership in the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) in 2012 and 2015 (though not elected) and received the City of Niš’s prestigious annual award “11. januar” in 2013. From 2010 to 2015, he served as a member of Serbia’s National Science Council. He is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Serbian Society of Sciences, the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Mathematical Society (AMS), GAMM (International Association of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics), and the Serbian Mathematical Society.
Professor Petković is widely known and respected as a passionate promoter of mathematics. He has authored 20 books in this field, including the internationally acclaimed Mathematics and Chess (Dover, New York, 1997) and Famous Puzzles of Great Mathematicians (AMS, Providence, 2009), which has been cited over 440 times, translated into Korean, and prepared for the Vietnamese market. He has delivered around 20 popular lectures and published approximately 100 articles aimed at promoting mathematics to a broader audience.