Alexei Norairovich Sissakian (1944-2010)

The Directorate of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, Dubna) deeply regrets to announce that Academician Alexei Norairovich Sissakian, the Director of JINR, a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a distinguished theoretical physicist and organizer of scientific research based on broad international cooperation, passed away on 1 May 2010 in his 66^th year of life.

Alexei Norairovich Sissakian was born on 14 October 1944 in Moscow. In 1968 he graduated from the Physics Faculty of the M. Lomonosov Moscow State University and started work at the JINR Laboratory of Theoretical Physics under the guidance of Academician N.N. Bogoliubov.

The main scientific activities of A.N. Sissakian concerned elementary particle physics, approximation methods and equations of quantum field theory with nontrivial geometry, symmetry and topology, and the physics of strong interactions at high temperatures and densities. He initiated and headed the largest project of JINR towards the construction of a heavy-ion collider, NICA, to study phase transitions and critical phenomena in nuclear matter.

Under the leadership of A.N. Sissakian, highly fruitful collaboration between JINR and CERN was arranged in preparation for many experiments at the LEP and the LHC.

A.N. Sissakian always combined his active research work with pedagogical and science-organization activities. He supervised 15 theses, headed chairs at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, and was a Professor at the M. Lomonosov Moscow State University, the vice-president of the International University “Dubna” and the head of its Theoretical Physics Chair.

A.N. Sissakian was the editor-in-chief of the journal “Physics of Particles and Nuclei, Letters”, as well as deputy editor-in-chief of the journal “Physics Particles and Nuclei”.

As Vice-Director of JINR during 1989–2005 and Director since 2006, Academician A.N. Sissakian made invaluable contributions towards maintaining and enhancing the potential of JINR, determining its future scientific prospects, renovating the Institute as an open international nuclear physics laboratory, and promoting broad cooperation with national and international research and educational centres.

Alexei Norairovich was always distinguished by his dedication to science and by a wonderful combination of great will power with kindness and sympathy to his relatives, friends, colleagues, to all people.