Edit: Yeoh I'm sleepy
Recently, Professor Ian Shipsey, a well-respected particle physicist and head of the department at the University of Oxford, passed away at the age of 65 due to a sudden fainting. Professor Ian Shipsey is not only an academic accomplishment, but also a passionate advocate for the physics community. His spiritual legacy will continue to illuminate the exploration and progress of his successors on the road of scientific research.
Professor Ian Shipsey (1959-2024), a renowned experimental particle physicist and head of the Oxford Department of Physics, suddenly fainted on the morning of October 7, 2024 local time, and passed away at the age of 65.
He was one of the most influential leaders in experimental particle physics of his time, and his contributions profoundly influenced our understanding of the fundamental mechanics of the universe and particles.
Both the physics community and the educational community are shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Professor Ian Shipsey.
Cao Jun, a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, sent a message of condolences
Ian Shipsey
Professor Ian Shipsey was born in London in 1959 and completed his undergraduate studies at Queen Mary University of London in 1982.
He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1986 with a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics.
During his Ph.D., he worked on the NA31 experiment at CERN, one of the most important particle physics research centers in the world.
In 1989, Professor Ian Shipsey moved to the United States and held key academic positions at Syracuse University and then Purdue University.
Continuing his work on subatomic particles, especially heavy quarks.
He returned to the United Kingdom in 2013 and worked at the University of Oxford.
Since 2018, Professor Ian Shipsey has been Head of the Department of Physics at Oxford, where he was re-elected in 2023.
Professor Ian Shipsey has not only played a pivotal role in the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford, but has also had a profound impact on physics research around the world through his academic attainments, leadership and self-reliance.
One of the most influential experimental particle physicists of our time, Ian Shipsey has devoted himself to the study of subatomic particles in order to explore the "Standard Model" of the building blocks of matter and the forces that interact with them.
One of his main research focuses on solving the "flavour problem" from an experimental perspective.
In the CLEO and CLEO-c experiments, Ian Shipsey played a key leadership role in making in-depth measurements of the rare decay of particles containing bottom quarks and quarks.
These findings are consistent with the predictions of the Standard Model and exclude various alternative theories.
His research on the inhibition of heavy ion collision bottom quark evens (Upsilon) provides convincing experimental evidence for the existence of quark-gluon plasmas.
His expertise in particle physics also extends to the detection of phenomena related to dark matter, continuing to advance the development of known physics.
In 2008, Professor Ian Shipsey spearheaded the United States Department of Energy's involvement in the development ·of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory Space and Time Legacy Survey (LSST) camera.
This is the largest camera ever built for the astronomical community and will measure the mysterious dark energy of the universe.
Ian Shipsey also invented a professional pixel camera that helped CERN discover the Higgs boson in 2012.
More recently, his team has characterized the decay of this Higgs boson in important new detail.
honor
These pioneering achievements have earned him numerous awards and international accolades.
In 2022, Professor Ian Shipsey was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of United Kingdom (FRS), one of the highest honours in United Kingdom science.
This is the best recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of science, and it also reflects his outstanding leadership skills in the academic community.
In addition, he is a Fellow of the United States Physical Society (APS), a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in United States, an Honorary Fellow of the United Kingdom Physical Society (IoP), and a Life Fellow of the Purdue University School of Teaching.
In addition to his academic excellence, Professor Ian Shipsey has been widely appreciated by students and colleagues for his commitment to creating a more inclusive campus environment.
In 1989, Professor Ian Shipsey became severely deaf and later regained some of his hearing through a cochlear implant.
Since his illness, he has been a tireless advocate for improved accessibility within the university system to provide better services for students and staff with disabilities.
He also demonstrated the transformative power of cochlear implant technology himself and shared his experience through a series of videos to raise awareness of the technology.
mourn
After the death of Professor Ian Shipsey, leaders at the University of Oxford expressed their deep condolences and admiration for him.
Jim Naismith, Head of the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Life Sciences at the University of Oxford, said, "Professor Ian Shipsey is a distinguished particle physicist, a respected head of the department and a colleague of ours. Friendly, charming, passionate, energetic, funny, intelligent, and an absolute seeker of excellence, he is a relentless advocate of physics. I have great admiration for him as a scientist and we will miss him very much. His departure will affect the physics community in United Kingdom and around the world."
Associate Professor Irene Tracey, Ushizu University.
"Ian is unique. He was one of the most influential particle physicists of his time: he changed our understanding of heavy quarks, discovered new physics around bottom quarks and the Higgs boson, and broke new ground in understanding dark matter. Charming, determined, funny, energetic, Ian is an unrelenting advocate of world-leading physics."
May Ian rest in peace.
Resources:
https://www.mpls.ox.ac.uk/latest/news/ian-shipsey