# Robert Aymar > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robert_Aymar > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Robert_Aymar.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Aymar > Source revision: 1334008193 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) French physicist (1936–2024) Aymar in 2006 **Robert Aymar** (1936 – 23 September 2024[1]) was a French physicist who was the [Director General](/source/List_of_Directors_General_of_CERN) of [CERN](/source/CERN) (2004–2008), serving a five-year term in that role.[2][3] ## Life and career Aymar was born in 1936 in France.[2] After studying at the *[École Polytechnique](/source/%C3%89cole_Polytechnique)*, he entered the *Corps des Poudres* (a former government agency involved in basic and applied research). Following his secondment to the *[Commissariat à l'énergie atomique](/source/Commissariat_%C3%A0_l'%C3%A9nergie_atomique)* (CEA) in 1959, his career was focused on fundamental research in plasma physics and its application in controlled thermonuclear fusion research. In 1977, Aymar was appointed Head of the [Tore Supra](/source/Tore_Supra) project, to be constructed at [Cadarache](/source/Cadarache), France. In 1990, he was appointed Director of the *Direction des Sciences de la Matière*[2] of the CEA, where he directed a wide range of basic research programmes, both experimental and theoretical. Aymar served on many Councils and Committees at national and international level, for example, the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL), the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF), and the [Joint European Torus](/source/Joint_European_Torus) (JET). He also acted as chairman of the European Fusion Technology Steering Committee, and as a member of the [ITER](/source/International_Thermonuclear_Experimental_Reactor) (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Technical Advisory Committee. He was appointed ITER Director in 1994 and International Team Leader in 2001. He chaired the international scientific committee that assessed CERN's [Large Hadron Collider](/source/Large_Hadron_Collider) (LHC) and recommended it for approval in 1996.[4] He also chaired the External Review Committee that was set up by the CERN Council in December 2001 to review the CERN programme.[5] Aymar succeeded [Luciano Maiani](/source/Luciano_Maiani) as Director-General of CERN in January 2004. He was honoured in 2006 with the International [Global Energy Prize](/source/Global_Energy_Prize), in 2011 with the [National Order of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic](/source/Legion_of_Honour).[6][7] In 2011 he gave a talk *The Origin of LEP and LHC* at the international symposium on subnuclear physics held in Vatican City.[8] Aymar died on 23 September 2024, at the age of 88.[9][10] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** cern (4 October 2024). ["Robert Aymar 1936-2024"](https://cerncourier.com/a/robert-aymar-1936-2024/). *CERN Courier*. Retrieved 4 October 2024. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-CVRA_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-CVRA_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-CVRA_2-2) ["CERN Council looks to bright future"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150810063406/http://press.web.cern.ch/press-releases/2002/12/cern-council-looks-bright-future). CERN. Archived from [the original](http://press.web.cern.ch/press-releases/2002/12/cern-council-looks-bright-future) on 10 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Council appoints Rolf-Dieter Heuer as CERN's next director-general..."](https://cds.cern.ch/record/1734150) CERN. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["News"](https://cds.cern.ch/record/1733554). *CERN Courier*. **44** (1). CERN: 5–6. 27 January 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Composition of the external review committee"](https://cds.cern.ch/record/1189417). CERN. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Robert Aymar awarded the Légion d'honneur"](https://cds.cern.ch/record/1357353). CERN. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Robert Aymar honoured at CERN"](https://cds.cern.ch/record/1734682). CERN. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** [Sánchez Sorondo, Marcelo](/source/Marcelo_S%C3%A1nchez_Sorondo); [Zichichi, Antonino](/source/Antonino_Zichichi), eds. (2014). ["*The Origin of LEP and LHC* by Robert Aymar"](https://www.pas.va/content/dam/casinapioiv/pas/pdf-volumi/scripta-varia/sv119/sv119-aymar.pdf) (PDF). *Subnuclear Physics: Past, Present and Future; Proceedings of the International Symposium, held 30 October - 2 November 2011, held in Vatican City*. Scripta Varia, volume 119. [Pontifical Academy of Sciences](/source/Pontifical_Academy_of_Sciences). pp. 97–108. (See [Large Electron–Positron Collider (LEP)](/source/Large_Electron%E2%80%93Positron_Collider).) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Disparition d'une figure du CEA, Robert Aymar"](https://www.cea.fr/presse/Pages/actualites-communiques/institutionnel/disparition-robert-aymar.aspx). *CEA*. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Robert Aymar (1936 – 2024)"](https://home.web.cern.ch/news/obituary/cern/robert-aymar-1936-2024). CERN. 26 September 2024. Retrieved 30 September 2024. Business positions Preceded by Luciano Maiani Director General of CERN 1 January 2004 – 31 December 2008 Succeeded by Rolf-Dieter Heuer Authority control databases International VIAF Other IdRef --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Robert Aymar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Aymar) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Aymar?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.