Széchenyi Prize-winning mathematician Zoltán Daróczy, full member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), and former rector of the University of Debrecen, died on September 12 at the age of 86, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences informed MTI on Tuesday.
Zoltán Daróczy was born in Bihartorda in 1938. In 1961, he obtained a high school teaching diploma in Debrecen, Lajos Kossuth University, majoring in mathematics and representational geometry. After obtaining his diploma, he received a scholarship from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and then worked for a year at the Institute of Mathematics of the University of Vienna.
After returning home, he became involved in Hungarian analysis research, which was then being developed, at the University of Debrecen. He worked as an assistant professor from 1967 and as a university associate professor from 1968. At that time, he was entrusted with the management of the Analysis Department. In 1975, he accepted his appointment as a university professor. In 1976, he was elected dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and in 1982 he became the director of the university’s Institute of Mathematics. Zoltán Daróczy was elected vice-rector of the university in 1984 and rector in 1987 for three years. After that, he was the head of the University’s Doctoral School of Mathematics and Computer Science until 2008, when he received the title of professor emeritus.
Zoltán Daróczy’s specialty was function equations and inequalities. In 1967, he defended his candidate’s thesis in mathematics, and in 1974, he defended his academic doctoral thesis. He became a member of the Mathematical Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Academic Committee of Debrecen and was the secretary of the latter between 1986 and 1988. In 1985, he was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and in 1990, a regular member. In addition to his academic duties, he was an honorary member of the Hamburg Mathematical Society and a member of the Kossuth and Széchenyi Prize Committee.
In addition to his academic career, he was also involved in politics: in the 1990 parliamentary elections, he obtained a mandate from the regional list of the Hungarian Socialist Party in Hajdú-Bihar County. Four years later, he won one of the individual districts in Debrecen and became a representative again.
For his work, he received the Széchenyi Award in 2004, and the Middle Cross of the Order of Merit of the Hungarian Republic in 2008, they wrote in the announcement.
(Debreceni Nap)
