Department of General Topology and Geometry of Moscow State University is Russia's leading center of research in set-theoretic topology. Its scientific traditions have been developed within several decades by Academician Pavel Sergeevich Alexandroff who was one of founders of General Topology and the creator of a world-famous scientific school. Since 1924 a topological seminar organized by P.S.Alexandroff is working at Moscow University (now named after him), consolidating mathematicians --- specialists in General Topology from the entire (former) Soviet Union. Foreign topologists do also often visit the seminar.
After P.S.Alexandroff's death in November 1982, a group of his colleagues from Department of Higher Geometry and Topology that had been supervised by him forwarded a letter to Moscow University's rector A.A.Logunov where they proposed to designate one of Alexandroff's disciples for the Head of the Department, in objective to preserve his scientific school. On December 28, 1982 the rector issued a circular by which Department of General Topology and Geometry was created. Professors A.V.Arhangel'skii, V.V.Fedorchuk, V.I.Ponomarev, Senior Research Workers (now Professors) V.V.Filippov, B.A.Pasynkov, Assistant Professors S.A.Bogatyi, A.P.Kombarov, Junior Research Worker (now Research Worker) V.I.Zaitsev and Laboratory Master E.B.Galkina were the first associates of the new Department. Professor Vitaly Vitalievich Fedorchuk was elected the Head of the Department and supervises it up to-day.
Within the period since the Department was created its associates have accomplished for a significant progress in various aspects of General (set-theoretic) and Geometric Topology. Results obtained by them in dimension theory, theory of cardinal invariants, reciprocal classification of spaces and maps, topological algebra have become world-wide known and moreover considerably determined the further development of Topology.
More detailed information about scientific accomplishments of today's associates of the Department may be found in their brief curricula vitae. Beside them, A.N.Dranishnikov, A.Ch.Chigogidze, V.V.Tkachuk and D.B.Shakhmatov were working at Department of General Topology and Geometry in different periods. Their scientific work is also described in a sketch.
Nowadays, the Department staff consists of 14 persons, among them 5 are Doctors of Sciences (Dr.-Prof.) and 8 --- Candidates of Sciences (Ph.D.).
In memory of the founder of Moscow topological school Pavel Sergeevich Alexandroff, annually in the last decade of May, Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University holds joint symposia of the topological seminar named after P.S.Alexandroff and Moscow Mathematical Society --- the Conference `Alexandroff Proceedings'. The sessions of the Conference are organized by joint efforts of Department of General Topology and Geometry, Department of Higher Geometry and Topology and Department of Differential Geometry and Applications. `Alexandroff Proceedings' are attended by specialists in Topology and Geometry from various cities of the (former) USSR, and sometimes by foreign scientists too.