Tadas Ivanauskas was a prominent Lithuanian zoologist and biologist, and one of the founders of Vytautas Magnus University.
Education
After finishing Warsaw Gymnasium in 1901 Ivanauskas moved to Saint St. Petersburg, where studied in the 1st gymnasium of the city. In 1903 he studied at the natural sciences department of the Saint St. Petersburg University. In 1905 he moved to Paris, and studied at Sorbonne University Nature-history faculty and graduated in 1909.
In 1909 he again entered Saint St. Petersburg University, as Russian Empire did not recognize foreign diplomas, and finished with first grade diploma in 1910.
Career
He met and befriendied Lithuanian students here and learned Lithuanian language. Together with another early twentieth century Lithuanian activist, Michał Römer, Ivanauskas gave lectures about Lithuania in Paris in 1905. During the studies he was active in Lithuanian student society, was elected a chairman.
In 1910 in Saint St. Petersburg established natural sciences visual devices laboratory Zootom, that prepared various biological, botanical, anatomical and mineralogical devices.
In summertime he traveled around Lithuania collecting material for his devices. 1914 and 1917 Ivanauskas participated in scientific expeditions into Northern Russia (Murmansk and Archangelsk) and Norway.
1920 he moved to Kaunas and worked as adviser in Ministry of Agriculture of Lithuania, also helped organizing Higher courses, that later became University of Lithuania. Together with Konstantinas Regelis organized Kaunas Botanical Park in 1923.
He was a professor in University of Lithuania (later Vytautas Magnus University) from 1922 until 1940, and in 1929, became the head of the Zoology Department.
He became a professor at the re-established Vilnius University between 1940 and 1941. He returned to this position in 1944, which he held until 1956. He simultaneously held a professorship at the Kaunas Medical Institute from 1954 until 1970.
He also founded the Zoological Museum in 1918, the Kaunas botanical garden in 1923, Žuvintas reserve in 1937, and the Kaunas Zoo in 1938.
Ivanauskas published 37 books and brochures, most famous of them - Birds of Lithuania. Being born as Tadeusz Iwanowski in Lebiodka, Hrodna Voblast of today"s Belarus, in a Catholic noble family loyal to the heritage of Grand Duchy of Lithuania, he did not know Lithuanian language until 1905.
Ivanauskas considered himself to be Lithuanian, and dedicated his life to the newly re-established country. The other three brothers of Ivanauskas identified themselves with the other two nationalities of former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, two (Jerzy Iwanowski - politician and engineer and Stanisław Iwanowski - lawyer) chose to become Polish, and one Vacłaŭ Ivanoŭski (politician) - Belarusian (although he would live in interwar Poland).
Membership
Since 1904 was member of Lithuanian society Lituania. Since 1941 he was a full member of Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.