Andrey Nikolaevich Kolmogorov ( Russian : Андре?й Никола?евич Колмого?ров , IPA:? [?n?dr?ej n??k??laj?v??t? k?lm???or?f] ( listen ) , 25 April 1903?? 20 October 1987) ^{[1] [2]} was a Soviet mathematician and computer scientist . He made major advances in the fields of probability theory and topology . Born in a Russian family in Tambov , he worked early in his career on intuitionistic logic , and Fourier series . He also worked on turbulence , classical mechanics , and information theory ; and was a founder of algorithmic complexity theory which is often referred to as simply Kolmogorov complexity theory .

Kolmogorov worked at Moscow State University . He studied under Nikolai Luzin , earning his Ph.D. in 1929. In 1931 he became professor at this university. In 1939 he received the title of academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences . He died in Moscow .