After the war, Darevsky was recruited to join the Biology Faculty of the
Moscow State University, from which he graduated in 1953. From 1954 to 1962, he worked in
Armenia, first as a Ph. D. student, then as a
Junior Researcher, Scientific Secretary and Head of the Department of Zoological Institute, Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences. In 1958, he defended his
Kandidat thesis on reptiles of Armenia and their
zoogeography (under the supervision of Dr. Sergey A. Chernov). Later on, studies of the Caucasian herpetofauna, and the rock lizards in particular, made him a recognized scientist. In 1962, Darevsky became Junior Researcher at the Zoological Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences; in 1967, he defended his
Doktor of sciences thesis "The Rock Lizards of the Caucasus"; and in 1976, he became the Head of Laboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology, which he led for the next twenty years. Darevsky authored more than three hundred scientific papers and several monographs about the systematics, ecology, paleontology, morphology, and conservation of amphibians and reptiles. He has also been part of many zoological expeditions to the
Caucasus,
Central Asia,
Indonesia (Komodo), and
Vietnam. He trained many scientists from the
Commonwealth of Independent States,
Mongolia, and
Vietnam, and for many years he lectured on herpetology at
Leningrad State University. For the training of next generation foreign scientists, he was awarded the
Order of Friendship of Peoples (1982) by the government of the Soviet Union and "Friendship" medal (2000) by the government of Vietnam. In 1985, he was given the honorary title of Honored Scientist of the RSFSR, and in 1987 he became a laureate of
Mechnikov Prize. Darevsky was President of the Russian Herpetological Society (1989–2006), honorary member of the
Societas Europaea Herpetologica (since 1996) and American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (since 1973), and a member of many Russian and foreign scientific societies. As head of the Laboratory of Ornithology and Herpetology, he introduced a collaborative style of administration that encouraged independent research. Colleagues noted his willingness to support junior researchers and his openness to professional consultation. During his last ten years, Darevsky was a leader of the St. Petersburg herpetological school. He became seriously ill over the last few years and was unable to visit the Zoological Institute. Nonetheless, he was continuously interested in the life of his colleagues and was upset that he could not work anymore. But as he said before his death: "I did a lot, and now I should have some rest". He died on 8 August 2009 aged 84. ==Selected publications==