We learned with great sadness that Philippe Jacquier passed away on January 24, 2019. Philippe had been fighting with illness for many years, displaying a courage and determination that made our great admiration.
Professor at Pierre and Marie Curie/Sorbonne University, researcher at Kastler Brossel Laboratory since 1979, Philippe has devoted the first part of his scientific career to conducting very high-level research on parity violation with Marie-Anne Bouchiat. Since 2003, he has led his own research team and has focused on solid helium impurity spectroscopy and on metastable states of low temperature condensed helium-4. Philippe was a passionate researcher and an inventive experimentalist. He was thrilled by science. Science which challenged him in his laboratory but also science in other fields, especially biology. His curiosity was immense, as was his knowledge. He has also invested in technology transfer through business consulting and patenting.
Philippe has been an outstanding teacher, as enthusiastic when he initated young ENS students to practical electronics or thousands of young medical students from Paris 6 to physics, as he was when he prepared future researchers by high level teaching in various Master courses. He has also been very involved in physics agregation and has long been an active member of the Tunisian agregation juries.
Finally, Philippe has played a very important part on the collective level, notably as Deputy Director of the Kastler Brossel Laboratory since 2012 and as Deputy Director of the Physics Department of the ENS for 8 years from 1992 to 2000. While managing the co-leadership of the Department’s general services with great human qualities, he has developed bonds of trust and often friendly links with administrative and technical staff.
Philippe Jacquier’s career and scientific contribution are exemplary and we will not forget his perceptiveness and commitment in everything he did. His death is tragic news and our thoughts are especially with his wife and children, as well as his family and friends.
Antoine Heidmann and Philippe Jacquier’s research team
Those who want to, can make a donation to the Institut Curie.
The worship ceremony was held on Monday, February 4, 2019 at 11 a.m., at Saint-Luc parish (80 rue de l’Ourcq – 75019 Paris).
It was followed by burial at 2 p.m. (the same day) at the Montparnasse cemetery (3, boulevard Edgar-Quinet – division 27 -rated main cemetery – 75014 Paris).