He was born to Ivan Kirillovich Mamayev and Raisa Moiseyevna Mamayeva and was married to Rimma Borisovna Mamayeva.
Education
1941 – Graduated from the 8th grade of secondary school, Moscow.
1941–1942 – Worked and studied at the Navigation Department of River Technical School, did practical work along the Moscow River, was an external student and studied at courses for military translators, Moscow.
1948 – Graduated from a Secondary School for Working Young People, with a silver medal.
1948–1950 – Studied at the Faculty of Geography, Moscow State University.
1953 – Graduated cum laude from Moscow State University.
Military service
He served in the Soviet Army from 1942 to 1946, serving in the 304th independent line signal battalion, 423rd independent cable-telegraph company, participated in the war against Japan.
Professional career
1953 – Worked as a hydrographer during the winter cruise of the R/V "Vityaz" of the Institute of Oceanology of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean and in the Bering Sea.
1953–1962 – Assistant at the Department of Oceanology, Faculty of Geography, MSU.
1955 – Worked as a hydrographer aboard the trawler "Lomonosov" during a research reconnaissance expedition of the BALTNIRO in the North Sea.
1957–1963 – Participated in the expeditions aboard the R/V "Mikhail Lomonosov" as a researcher, science secretary, the head of the hydrographical team.
1978 – Professor of the Department of Oceanology, MSU.
1978–1994 -Member of the Commission on the Problems of the World Ocean under the USSR Academy of Sciences.
1979–1989 – Deputy Chairman of the section Physics and Chemistry of the Ocean of the Commission on the Problems of the World Ocean under the USSR Academy of Sciences.
1979–1990 – Chairman of the Working Group of the USSR Academy of Sciences on Oceanographic Tables and Standards under the Commission on the Problems of the World Ocean.
1979–1985 – Member of the Council of Experts of the All-Union Attestation Committee on Earth Sciences.
1980–1992 – The Soviet National Co-ordinator on issues of training of experts, education in the field of marine sciences, IOC, UNESCO.
1981–1986 – Chairman of the Specialised Hydrometeorological Council at Moscow State University.
1986 – Chairman and organiser of the First meeting of the UNESCO/SCOR/ICES/IAPSO Joint Editorial Board on the new international manual "Processing of Oceanographic Station Data," Moscow,
1987–1994 – Head of the Department of Oceanology, MSU, member of the Academic Council of the Faculty of Geography, MSU.
1991–1994 – Member of the editorial board of Oceanology magazine.
1992 – Member of the international organising committee of a session on "Meso- and Microstructure of the Ocean – Records and Process Models", St. Petersburg, Russia.