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Georgi Dmitrievich Karpechenko was born 21 April 1899 in Velsk, Vologoda province.
He was one of the leading geneticists in Russia in 1930's. He was heading the Department of Genetics at the Institute of Plant Industry (before 1930 - the Russian Institute of Applied Botany and New Crops) and the Chair of Plant Genetics at Leningrad State University.
Beginning from the middle of 1930's political oppression in this country became targeted at the scientific community as well. In 1940-1941, following the arrest of N.I. Vavilov, Director of VIR, several leading scientists of this institute were arrested. Among them was G.D. Karpechenko. Like Vavilov, his life ended in prison (he was executed by shooting).
Like Vavilov, who regarded Bateson as his teacher, Karpechenko was sent in 1926 to Europe to undergo training at European scientific centres. Bateson displayed great concern in Karpechenko, but when he arrived to England he found that Bateson was no longer alive.