Shimon Reich

Shimon Reich, 71, a professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Rehovot, Israel, died of esophageal cancer on July 19, 2009.

Reich earned a bachelor’s degree in physics and mathematics at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in 1962. He then attended the Weizmann Institute, earning a master’s degree in physics in 1964 and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1969, under Aharon Katzir-Katchalski. He completed his postdoctoral work at McGill University, in Montreal.

Reich served as a lecturer at the Weizmann Institute from 1970 to 1980. He then spent a year as a visiting professor at the University of Florida’s department of materials science and engineering. He worked at DuPont’s Experimental Station in Wilmington, Del., and was later named an associate professor and a professor at the Weizmann Institute.

Reich made significant contributions to materials science, particularly in the areas of polymer phases and superconductivity. He was a member of the Israel Chemical Society and the Materials Research Society.

Reich is survived by three children and six grandchildren. His wife, Klara, predeceased him.