Serbian Scientists

Considering not so big a number of the population and unfavourable historic circumstances, the Serbian nation gave quite great number of worldly recognised scientists, indebting the modern civilisation in various aspects of the everyday life.

Besides the already mentioned physicists, Мihајlo Pupin and Мilutin Мilаnkоvić, the Serbian intellectual history could be considered without the following names:

Мihаilо Pеtrоvić – Аlаs and Мilеvа Маrić Einstein were quite renowned in the world as mathematicians, applying their knowledge in engineering and inventions;

Pаvlе Sаvić was a great physicist, a Nobel Prize candidate and the most important person in establishing the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences;

Јоsif Pаnčić was a world famous biologist and the first president of the Serbian Academy of Sciences;

Јоvаn Cviјić, an ethnographer, geographer and geologist, was also one of the presidents of  the Serbian Academy of Sciences and of the Belgrade University;

The greatest name in the Serbian world of linguistics and the leader of the Serbian National Movement was Vuk Stеfаnоvić Kаrаdžić.

GEOGRAPHY

Apart from some rare exceptions, the great scientists who were born and grew up in Serbia, had to go abroad, to some more advanced countries in order to obtain material conditions  and support for their progress in science. And today, as well, there is a wave of young people emigrating so as to be able to grow in their respective fields of interest. Such a phenomenon is called the “brain drain” and poses a special challenge for the Serbian state policy.

In almost all the cases, the world scientists with their origins in Serbia remained also great patriots, never forgetting the country and the people they came from.