Polyanin graduated with honors from the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1974 (M.Sc.).

He is editor of the book series Differential and Integral Equations and Their Applications (Chapman & Hall – CRC Press, London – Boca Raton) and member of the editorial board of the journal Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering.

Polyanin is a scientist with broad interests who has made significant contribution to the theory of differential and integral equations, mathematical physics, applied and engineering mathematics, fluid mechanics, theory of heat and mass transfer, and chemical engineering sciences.

Polyanin is the author of more than 30 books in English, Russian, German, and Bulgarian as well as over 160 research papers and three patents.

He is known in the scientific community for his fundamental series of handbooks on differential and integral equations; many of the results included in these books were obtained by him personally.