Tag: Obituary
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Alasdair Smith (1942–2025)
Alasdair Smith(1942–2025) — Alasdair Smith passed away in March at the age of 82. After receiving a PhD in physics from the University of Glasgow in 1970, Alasdair began a long career at CERN, working on experiments at the ISR, then on OPAL at LEP and, finally, on LHCb at the LHC. At the ISR,
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Renzo Riva (1942 – 2025)
Renzo Riva(1942 – 2025) — With great sadness, the CERN Ski club bids farewell to Renzo Riva, an extraordinary person who passed away on 24 March2025 at the age of 82. He was not only a key figure in the club for over four decades but also a dear friend, mentor, and leader whose contributions
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Hans Gutbrod (1942 – 2025)
Hans Gutbrod(1942 – 2025) — Hans Gutbrod, a pioneer of heavy-ion physics from its beginnings in the 1970s, passed away on 3 March 2025. He was one of the founding members of the ALICE collaboration at CERN and leader of the FAIR core team at GSI, Darmstadt. Hans studied at the Technical University of Karlsruhe
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Georges Vianès (1938 – 2025)
Georges Vianès(1938 – 2025) — Georges Vianès sadly passed away on 4 February, at the age of 86. From 1989 to 1991, during the mandate of Director-General Carlo Rubbia, he was the Head of Administration at CERN and a member of the Directorate. He was formally appointed to the role during the 86th session of
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Senamile Masango (1987–2025)
Senamile Masango(1987–2025) — It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of Senamile Masango, a member of the CERN Alumni Network. A pioneering South African nuclear scientist, entrepreneur and advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, she dedicated her life to advancing science and empowering women in STEM. As
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Paul Kuijer (1957–2025)
Paul Kuijer(1957–2025) — We received news of the passing of Paul Kuijer with great sorrow. Paul was a senior experimental physicist at Nikhef and played an important role in the ALICE experiment at CERN. During the last years of his career, Paul had turned his attention mostly towards the ET Pathfinder project within the Gravitational
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John Pett (1942 – 2024)
John Pett(1942 – 2024) — It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the loss of our friend and colleague, John Pett, former member and leader of the LHC Power Converter group. He was an important member of the group, contributing with his great experience, knowledge and efforts in innovation. John was
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Ian Shipsey (1959 – 2024)
Ian Shipsey(1959 – 2024) — Experimental particle physicist Ian Shipsey, a remarkable leader and individual, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in Oxford on 7 October. Ian was educated at Queen Mary University of London and the University of Edinburgh, where he earned his PhD in 1986 for his work on the NA31 experiment at CERN.
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Karel Šafařík (1953–2024)
Karel Šafařík(1953 – 2024) — Our dear colleague and friend, Karel Šafařík, sadly passed away on Monday 7 October. Karel graduated in theoretical physics in Bratislava in 1976, and worked at JINR in Dubna for more than 11 years, participating in experiments on the phenomenology of particle production at high energies at Dubna and at
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Robert Aymar (1936 – 2024)
CERN Director-General from 2004 to 2008, he mobilised the teams to finish building the LHC and commission the machine