The article analyzes the prerequisites and conditions for choosing Academician V.N. Chernigovsky, academician-secretary of the Department of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences, created in 1963. For this purpose, the scientific potential and creative success, career growth and individual qualities of Academician V.N. Chernigovsky within the framework of the methodological approach of “protected space” were considered. He was characterized by a high level of achievement motivation, he had high efficiency, and was characterized by thoroughness and accuracy in carrying out scientific work. V.N. Chernigovsky successfully developed a new direction in the field of visceral physiology and made a significant contribution to the idea of interoception. He worked hard, achieved results step by step, which added up, enhancing their combined effect and creating the basis for his recognition and career advancement. V.N. Chernigovsky had significant administrative experience in leading two leading physiological institutes. Creative space of academician V.N. Chernigovsky, his scientific trajectory and personal characteristics brought him to the forefront as a candidate for the position of Academician-Secretary of the new Department of Physiology of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Election of Academician V.N. Chernigovsky’s appointment to the position of academic secretary was not an accident, a game of chance or luck. This was the result of his intensive scientific and organizational work, which were predetermined by his personal qualities.