Atabek and Juan Alberto Beswick, on problems of molecular dynamics collisions,
photo-fragmentation, etc. Following one of his visits to Orsay, in teamwork with
Alberto Beswick and Joshua Jortner, one of the first numerical simulations of the
vibrational predissociation of the van der Waals molecule HeI 2 was published,
which paved the way to numerous papers on molecular clusters of increasing size
and complexity, involving up to 15 Ph.D. theses.
In 1975, Gerardo returned to Madrid and, after one more year of postdoctorate at
Rocasolano Institute, he was hired as Associate Professor at the Department of
Quantum Chemistry in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), from 1976 to
1979. From 1979 to 1987, he held various positions at Instituto de Estructura de la
Materia (IEM), except for a one-year leave in 1982–1983 as Associate Professor at
UCM. In 1986, he contributed to founding what was to become the Instituto de
Matemáticas y Física Fundamental (IMAFF) within CSIC. There he became
Profesor de Investigación (Senior Researcher), and eventually Director. After
retirement, from 2016 onwards, he held the title of Doctor ad Honorem at CSIC.
GDB was world-renowned for his research in theoretical atomic and molecular
physics, especially on the structure and dynamics of atomic clusters, a topic that he
introduced in Spain. He was invited to various foreign institutes, in France as we
know but also in Italy, Israel, the USA, the USSR, and especially the Latin
American countries, where he was acknowledged as a leader in theoretical chemical
physics. He published over 250 papers in scientific journals, gave over 100 talks at
scientific meetings, and acted as a coeditor of about 20 volumes. He was a member
of the Board of publications such as FCTL, IJQC, PTCP, EPL, and in 2000–2002
he was the Chairman of the Board of the European Physical Journal.
He has been the President or a member of the Board of about 20 Spanish,
European or International scientific bodies, within which he helped organize some
20 scientific meetings. Among these meetings were a score of QSCP workshops,
especially QSCP-XIV at El Escorial in 2009, where the CMOA Medal was
awarded, for the first time, to Alberto Beswick, Gerardo’s old friend.
GDB held a number of responsibilities in the world of research and education in
physics. He was the first chairman of the Atomic and Molecular Physics Group
within the Spanish Royal Physical Society, and then became the President of this
Society from 1997 through 2005. In 2001–2004, he was in the Executive
Committee of CSIC, and in 2006, he became the Director of IMAFF. He was also
the President of the Iberian-American Federation of Physical Societies and a representative of Spain at various international bodies, including IUPAP, COST, and
the European Physical Society in which he was in charge of international relations.
GDB received a number of honorary distinctions, including the Golden Medal
of the (Spanish) Royal Physical Society in 1983 and a Doctorate Honoris Causa
from the ISCTN at La Habana (Cuba) in 1998. He could meet King Juan Carlos, to
whom he endeavored to promote a consistent and dynamic policy of research in
pure and applied physics. During GDB’s presidency of the Royal Physical Society,
this latter experienced an amazing growth in number of members, financial
resources, and impact on civil society.
xii
Obituary: Gerardo Delgado-Barrio (1946–2018)
photo-fragmentation, etc. Following one of his visits to Orsay, in teamwork with
Alberto Beswick and Joshua Jortner, one of the first numerical simulations of the
vibrational predissociation of the van der Waals molecule HeI 2 was published,
which paved the way to numerous papers on molecular clusters of increasing size
and complexity, involving up to 15 Ph.D. theses.
In 1975, Gerardo returned to Madrid and, after one more year of postdoctorate at
Rocasolano Institute, he was hired as Associate Professor at the Department of
Quantum Chemistry in Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM), from 1976 to
1979. From 1979 to 1987, he held various positions at Instituto de Estructura de la
Materia (IEM), except for a one-year leave in 1982–1983 as Associate Professor at
UCM. In 1986, he contributed to founding what was to become the Instituto de
Matemáticas y Física Fundamental (IMAFF) within CSIC. There he became
Profesor de Investigación (Senior Researcher), and eventually Director. After
retirement, from 2016 onwards, he held the title of Doctor ad Honorem at CSIC.
GDB was world-renowned for his research in theoretical atomic and molecular
physics, especially on the structure and dynamics of atomic clusters, a topic that he
introduced in Spain. He was invited to various foreign institutes, in France as we
know but also in Italy, Israel, the USA, the USSR, and especially the Latin
American countries, where he was acknowledged as a leader in theoretical chemical
physics. He published over 250 papers in scientific journals, gave over 100 talks at
scientific meetings, and acted as a coeditor of about 20 volumes. He was a member
of the Board of publications such as FCTL, IJQC, PTCP, EPL, and in 2000–2002
he was the Chairman of the Board of the European Physical Journal.
He has been the President or a member of the Board of about 20 Spanish,
European or International scientific bodies, within which he helped organize some
20 scientific meetings. Among these meetings were a score of QSCP workshops,
especially QSCP-XIV at El Escorial in 2009, where the CMOA Medal was
awarded, for the first time, to Alberto Beswick, Gerardo’s old friend.
GDB held a number of responsibilities in the world of research and education in
physics. He was the first chairman of the Atomic and Molecular Physics Group
within the Spanish Royal Physical Society, and then became the President of this
Society from 1997 through 2005. In 2001–2004, he was in the Executive
Committee of CSIC, and in 2006, he became the Director of IMAFF. He was also
the President of the Iberian-American Federation of Physical Societies and a representative of Spain at various international bodies, including IUPAP, COST, and
the European Physical Society in which he was in charge of international relations.
GDB received a number of honorary distinctions, including the Golden Medal
of the (Spanish) Royal Physical Society in 1983 and a Doctorate Honoris Causa
from the ISCTN at La Habana (Cuba) in 1998. He could meet King Juan Carlos, to
whom he endeavored to promote a consistent and dynamic policy of research in
pure and applied physics. During GDB’s presidency of the Royal Physical Society,
this latter experienced an amazing growth in number of members, financial
resources, and impact on civil society.
xii
Obituary: Gerardo Delgado-Barrio (1946–2018)