Marek Lewitowicz - Biography#

Dr. Marek Lewitowicz is working since more than 25 years at the forefront of research and technological development in nuclear physics. He has strongly contributed to the major discoveries in the study of nuclei very far from the valley of stability like a first observation of the doubly magic nuclei 100Sn [1]] and 48Ni [9]], a discovery of the new mode of radioactivity – two-proton ground-state decay [7]], and a first measurement of neutron distribution, through exclusive reaction cross sections [8]] and elastic scattering [3]] of the so-called “halo nucleus” 11Li.

Marek Lewitowicz made also a very significant impact on studies of modification of the shell structure in nuclei with an excess of neutrons leading to the new magic numbers in the vicinity of N=20, N=28, N=40 and N=50 [4]]. The most striking manifestation of these dramatic changes of the nuclear structure was observed in the pioneering mass measurement [10]] and Coulomb excitation experiments [6]].

New experimental techniques discovered and applied for the first time by the team co-lead by Dr. Lewitowicz became now standard tools used in major nuclear physics laboratories in the world like GANIL in France, GSI in Germany, NSCL/MSU in USA and RIBF/RIKEN in Japan. Among those techniques one can put forward an identification of nuclei far from stability via short-lived isomeric states [2]] and measurements of the conversion-electron decay of excited (in particular 0+) states in nuclei produced in projectile fragmentation as well as production of oriented and polarised isomeric beams for study of nuclear moments. These applications allowed, in particular, for a discovery and study over the world of more than 100 new shortlived isomeric states in exotic nuclei.

Dr. Lewitowicz is among the leading scientists promoting and constructing new and ambitious nuclear physics facilities like SPIRAL, SPIRAL2 [5]] at GANIL and future EURISOL. He contributes to definition of the physics case, and to planning of new experiments and development of new equipment as well as to the management of the projects being an active member of the steering and scientific committees.

As one of the leading scientists and deputy director of the GANIL facility he strongly contributed to the construction and operation of the new experimental devices at GANIL like the new magnetic separators-spectrometers LISE2000, VAMOS and an advanced germanium array EXOGAM.

It is also important to mention that in addition to his research achievements, Dr.Lewitowicz has been heavily involved in supervising many young physicists - 25 undergraduate and Ph.D. students, postdocs and young permanent staff physicists; 80% of them are occupying today permanent positions in the leading European and US nuclear physics laboratories.

The candidate’s contribution to the field is recognised also through the numerous invitations at the most prestigious nuclear physics conferences (INPC, ENAM, RNB, NN Collisions) and schools (Enrico Fermi School in Varenna, International School on Subatomic Physics in Beijing, Balkan School on Nuclear Physics in Greece and
others). He is a member of the scientific advisory committees of 3-4 conferences per year and he also co-organises himself international conferences and meetings like SPIRAL2 Week (since 2008, yearly meeting of 300-400 participants), Colloque GANIL, Konan Workshop on Nuclear Physics in Tours and others.

He is a recognised expert in experimental nuclear physics and as such he was Chair of the G-PAC at GSI Darmstadt (2007 - 2010), a member of INTC (ISOLDE – nTOF Scientific Committee) CERN (2002 - 2006), member of the CSTS/Saclay (Scientific and Technical Council; 2001 - 2006). He is presently member of the PAC at RIBF, RIKEN, Japan (2009 - present) and Chair of the Scientific Council of the Institute Physique Nucléaire Orsay (2008 - present). He was member of the Editorial Boards of the IOP Journal of Physics G and the NuPECC Nuclear Physics News.

Dr. Lewitowicz has important contributions to the development of the scientific collaborations across Europe. He is a coordinator of the FP7 EU “SPIRAL2 Preparatory Phase” project (25 institutions from 13 countries, several hundred of physicists and engineers involved) as well as deputy co-ordinator of the FP7 EU “ENSAR” project (29 beneficiary institutions from 18 countries representing all major European nuclear physics laboratories). He is also a member of the EURISOL Office and the EURISOL User Executive Committee. Moreover, Dr. Lewitowicz is coordinator and initiator of the numerous bilateral and multilateral scientific agreements: the COPIGAL France – Poland collaboration agreement, CNRS/IN2P3 –Romania, CNRS/IN2P3 – Czech Academy of Science and CNRS/IN2P3/GANIL – JINR Dubna agreements (since 25 years) and others.

Dr. Lewitowicz is member of the European Physical Society (EPS) and has been for seven years (2003 - 2009) member and treasurer of Nuclear Physics Board of the EPS playing, in particular, an active role in the committee awarding EPS “Lise Maitner” prize for Nuclear Science.