Zahid Ismayil oghlu Khalilov (1911–1974) was a prominent Azerbaijani mathematician and academician who served as the President of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR from 1962 to 1967. He is recognized for his foundational contributions to functional analysis and its applications to differential and integral equations.
Born on January 14, 1911, in the village of Sarachly in the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire (present-day Georgia), Khalilov graduated from the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University in 1932. He continued his studies in Tbilisi and later in Moscow, where he conducted research under the guidance of leading Soviet mathematicians. In 1946, he earned his Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences degree.
Khalilov’s primary scientific work focused on the theory of singular integral equations, boundary value problems for partial differential equations, and the theory of linear operators. He is credited with authoring one of the first textbooks on functional analysis published in the Soviet Union, titled Principles of Functional Analysis (1949). His research played a significant role in establishing the school of functional analysis in Azerbaijan and influenced the development of the mathematical sciences throughout the region.
In addition to his research, Khalilov held several administrative positions within the scientific community. He served as the Director of the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan SSR and was a member of the Presidium of the Academy. He also contributed to the pedagogical field as a professor at Baku State University.
Zahid Khalilov received numerous state honors for his academic achievements and service to the state, including the Order of the Red Banner of Labour and the Order of the Badge of Honour. He died on February 4, 1974, in Baku.