Obituary of George A. Samara

George A. Samara, perhaps the world’s most accomplished scientist in the use of high pressure for fundamental studies of electronic and structural properties of solid state materials, died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on December 30, 2006, after a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. George’s scientific career is especially notable for the use of quantitative conditions of high pressure to better define the dependence of electronic properties on lattice compression.

George spent his almost forty-five year scientific career at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. He received his PhD degree in Chemical Engineering in 1962 from the University of Illinois, Urbana under the direction of Professor Harry Drickhamer. Not only did George carry out an unusually accomplished research career, but in forty years as a supervisor of physics and chemistry research activities, his interaction, insight and support of his scientists led to world-wide recognition of excellence for his group. He is widely recognized for high professional, ethical, and scientific standards that have inspired all who had contact with him.

As an ROTC officer he spent two years at the Institute of Exploratory Research for the U. S. Army Electronics Laboratory at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.

He used his extraordinary organizational ability to help organize a host of national and international materials research activities. In high pressure science, he served as Vice President and Executive Committee of the International Association of High Pressure Science and Technology (AIRAPT); Chairman of the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) Panel on High Pressure Science and Technology; Chairman ,1974 Gordon Conference on Research at High Pressure; Co-Chair and Program Chairman 1993 Joint AIRAPT/American Physical Society Conference on High Pressure Science and Technology.

Consistent with the focus of his group’s orientation on materials science under deformation, his shock-compression science group uniquely focused on solid state physics and chemistry was highly regarded. The work drew from the physics capabilities from a broad range of scientific strengths.

George’s numerous scientific papers included pioneering work on structural phase transformations, semiconductor physics, ferroelectrics, ferroelectric polymers, nanosize semiconductor clusters, defects, deep electronic levels, relaxation in crystalline solids and polymers, ionic transport, ceramics, photovoltaics, and MBE and CVD synthesis and processing.

George was awarded the Ipatieff Prize of the American Chemical Society, and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He was a Fellow Member of the American Physical Society and the American Association for Advancement of Science. His activities included editorial or advisory boards on Ferroelectrics, Reviews of Scientific Instruments, Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids, The Journal of Materials Science. Based on his technical management and leadership, he was awarded the American Chemical Society’s Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Management in 2000.

During the last thirteen years of his career, George served as Manager of Sandia Laboratories DOE Basic Energy Sciences Materials. He served as Director, the DOE Center of Excellence for the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials, a coordinated, cooperative venture among twelve national laboratories and several industrial and university partners. He was largely responsible for developing the concept for the center. George played a leading role in formulating the DOE joint Sandia/Los Alamos, Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT). With his principal management interest in the DOE Basic Energy Sciences, George maintained a secret laboratory where he could have at least a little time with his high pressure science. True to his nature, he worked until the last.

Besides being an outstanding scientist and management leader, George was very kind to all, and recruited, hired, and mentored many young researchers. He will be deeply missed by his friends, co-workers and the wider physics community.

A devoted husband and father, George, born in 1936, came to the United States as an unaccompanied sixteen-year-old from Jdeidet Marjayoun, Lebanon. He leaves his wife of thirty-three years, Helen, a son, Michael, a daughter, Victoria, a brother, Emile and a sister Leila.