Konstantin N. Maksimov is a research-scholar, university professor, and has been active on the public and political stage as Vice President of Kalmykia (1985–1989), Chairman of Kalmyk Parliament (1993–1999), and long-standing Member of Parliament. He is member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Merited Scholar of the Russian Federation, and winner of the Silver Medal of Peter the Great, awarded for outstanding achievements in promoting scholarly research in Russia.