Obituary for Prof. Ambros P. Speiser

 

Our honarary member Prof. Ambros P. Speiser passed away in May 2003. He was 80 years old. The SPS offers their sincere condolences to his family.

Ambros P. Speiser has shaped two very prominent research laboratories: IBM Zürich Research Laboratory and the BBC Corporate Research Center in Dättwil (today ABB), who continue to be active in physical sciences and engineering in Switzerland. The environment he founded at IBM has produced numerous prominent researchers and namely four Nobel price winners in physics, which significantly contributed to the reputation of Science Made in Switzerland. After his time at IBM, he led the BBC research center quickly to a number of extraordinary results, as liquid crystal displays, RECOMA (rare earth cobalt magnets), and many others. After his retirement at BBC, he continued to inform the public about the importance of inventions coming out of basic science for the technological evolution of our industrialized society.

 

[Released: June 2003]