Raúl Baragiola

Raúl Baragiola, the Alice and Guy Wilson Chair and Professor of Engineering Physics and Materials Science at the University of Virginia passed away on June 21^st 2015 at the age of 70.

Raúl was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, on March 31st, 1945 and studied at the Instituto “Balseiro”, which is overseen by the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and operated by the Centro Atómico Bariloche (CAB) funded by the Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina in Bariloche, Argentina. Raúl became a faculty member at the Institute and a researcher in the Division of Atomic Collisions in the CAB, making significant contributions toward the understanding of ion-solid interactions. In Bariloche he founded the Surface Science Laboratory and then pioneered a company producing personal computer hardware and software, becoming CEO. Eventually, he emigrated to the US where he held a position at Rutgers University from 1988 to 1990, before ultimately settling at the University of Virginia where he directed the Laboratory for Astrophysics and Surface Physics until his passing.

Raúl was a member of the 20-year Cassini mission exploring Saturn and an advisor on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory mission. He received numerous awards including a NASA Achievement Award and a lifetime achievement award from the International Committee on Atomic Collisions. He was a fellow of the APS and of The Institute of Physics of the UK. His work was supported by NASA and the National Science Foundation and included astrochemistry, planetary atmospheres and surface processes on airless planetary bodies and icy satellites, as well as fundamental physical processes by ion-electron interactions with metals and metal-oxides. Over the course of his lifetime, Raúl published more than 200 refereed scientific articles and book chapters, gave over 80 invited lectures, advised more than 40 students and post-doctoral researchers on multiple continents, and collaborated with more research groups than is possible to name.

Raúl was not only a great scientist but also a great human being. Four of us (Nestor Arista , Orlando Auciello, Julio Ferron and Catherine Dukes) had the privilege to be his students, and all of us were his colleagues for many years, pursuing joint research and co-authoring publications but most importantly maintaining a long-time friendship.

He is survived by his wife Beatriz of 46 years, their three children, and three grandchildren.

Raúl will be greatly missed, and his work and memories of his persona will live for the rest of our lives with us and his colleagues worldwide.