Herch Moyses Nussenzveig
About Optica
In Memoriam: Herch Moyses Nussenzveig , 1933 - 2022
05 November 2022
Herch Moyses Nussezveig, Optica Fellow and recipient of the Max Born Award, passed away on 5 November 2022 at the age of 89. Nussenzveig’s research contributed to the theory of the rainbow and other phenomena in atmospheric optics, such as the ‘glory.’
Nussezveig was the son of Polish Jewish immigrants and graduated from the University of São Paulo in 1954 with his undergraduate degree and in 1957 with his doctorate degree in physics. As a post-doctorate, he completed internships at the University of Eindhoven and the University of Utrecht. He also did work with the National Institute of Technology Zurich, and the University of Birmingham.
In the 60s and 70s, Nussezveig was a visiting professor at several universities including New York University, the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study, the University of Rochester, and the University of Paris-SOUTH. In addition to teaching, he was a president of the Brazilian Physics Society from 1981-1983 and a member of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics.
In 1986, Nussezveig received the Max Born Award “for distinguished and valuable contributions to the theory of Mie scattering and to the theories of the rainbow and the glory,” and in the following year was elected a Fellow of Optica. He would go on to receive the Álvaro Alberto Prize in Physics (1995) from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Grand Cross Category (1995) of the National Order of Scientific Merit, and the Jabuti Award (1999) from the Brazilian Book Chamber.
Apart from his academic career, Nussenzveig participated in the design and construction of important research centers in Brazil.
Optica and the scientific community mourn his loss.
