Jean-Paul Richard
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Award for Development of Multimode Gravitational Wave Bar Detector with Optical Transducer, NSF
Jean-Paul Richard | |
|---|---|
 Jean-Paul Richard in 2012 | |
| Born | June 10, 1936 |
| Died | September 8, 2023 (aged 87) |
| Occupations | Physicist, academic and researcher |
| Awards | Award for Research and Development of Gravitational Radiation Antennas, NSF Award for Development of Multimode Gravitational Wave Bar Detector with Optical Transducer, NSF |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Laval University University of Paris |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Maryland |
Jean-Paul Richard (June 10, 1936 – September 8, 2023) was a Canadian physicist, academic and researcher. He was a Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland.[1]
Richard's work has been focused on the detection of gravitational waves. He has contributed to the fields of low temperature gravitational wave detectors and their transducer systems.
For his contributions to the field during the years 1965 to 1998, the University of Maryland recognized Richard as a pioneer in the field of Gravitational Wave research in a 2016 event "A celebration of Gravitational Waves".[2]
Richard died on September 8, 2023, at the age of 87.[3]
After completion of the classical curriculum at the Petit Séminaire de Québec, Richard received a bachelor's degree in Arts from Laval University in 1956. After undergraduate studies at Laval University, he received a bachelor's degree in physics in 1960.[4]
In 1960, Richard joined the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris. There, his research activities focused on the possibilities of testing Einstein's General Theory of Relativity from the observation of the motion of artificial Earth satellites. Richard received his doctorate in theoretical physics and Doctorat d’Etat in physical sciences from University of Paris in 1963 and 1965, respectively. Then, Richard joined Joseph Weber research program to detect gravitational waves at the University of Maryland.[5]
Career
Richard joined the University of Maryland's department of physics in 1965 as a research associate. He was promoted to assistant professor in 1968, to associate professor in 1973 and to professor in 1981. In 1995, he became professor emeritus of physics and was appointed as senior research scientist. After retiring in 1998, he remained associated with the University of Maryland as professor emeritus of physics.[4]