John Paul Schiffer Ph.D.

John Paul Schiffer was born in Budapest Hungary in 1930 to physician parents Ernö and Elizabeth Schiffer. He was always part of a deeply loving family. John married Marianne Tsuk in 1960, and they had two children, Celia and Peter.

After the Second World War, he immigrated to the US at the age of 16. He received a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. from Yale University. After postdoctoral work at Rice University, he joined the physics division at Argonne National Laboratory in 1956 and for the next 66 years he was at the very heart of the division -- his integrity and scientific principles influenced everyone. He also held a joint appointment with the University of Chicago as Professor of Physics from 1969, becoming emeritus in 2000. He considered the opportunity to live and perform science in a free, open and peaceful society to be a tremendous privilege. His research spanned a broad spectrum of physics, and it was recognized through multiple awards, including the American Physical Society's highest award in nuclear physics, the Tom W. Bonner prize with the citation "For his significant contributions to numerous aspects of nuclear structure" and the Wilbur Cross Medal of Yale University. He was elected to membership in the American Academy of Arts and Science and the National Academy of Sciences and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. His passion and curiosity for physics continued through to the end of his life, publishing his final scientific paper as a lead author in April 2022. Beyond physics, he loved being outdoors, from walking in the Morton Arboretum to hiking and skiing in the Colorado Rockies. In his later years he enjoyed taking pictures of flowers and plants on walks. He is sorely missed.

He is survived by his wife Marianne, daughter Celia, son Peter, and daughter-in-law Sharon, as well as grandchildren Zachary, Benjamin, and Naomi.