Zhou Guangzhao (; May 15, 1929 – August 17, 2024) was a Chinese

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...

who served as President of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

from 1987 to 1997.

Early life and education

Zhou Guangzhao was born on May 15, 1929, in

Changsha Changsha is the capital of Hunan, China. It is the 15th most populous city in China with a population of 10,513,100, the Central China#Cities with urban area over one million in population, third-most populous city in Central China, and the ...

, the capital of

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

province. He was the 5th child of the civil engineer Zhou Fengjiu, and the younger brother of biochemist/geneticist Zhou Guangyu. He graduated from

Tsinghua University Tsinghua University (THU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Constructio ...

in 1951, and then did graduate work in theoretical physics for three years at

Beijing University Peking University (PKU) is a public university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. It i ...

. He stayed at Beijing Univ. on the faculty after completing his PhD. In 1957 he was sent to the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

by the Chinese Atomic Energy Research Institute to work at the

Dubna Dubna ( rus, Дубна́, p=dʊbˈna) is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of '' naukograd'' (i.e. town of science), being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research center and o ...

Joint Institute for Nuclear Research The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR, ), in Dubna, Moscow Oblast (110 km north of Moscow), Russia, is an international research center for nuclear sciences, with 5,500 staff members including 1,200 researchers holding over 1,000 ...

Professional career

Zhou returned to China in 1960, where he worked on the

Chinese nuclear weapons program The People's Republic of China has developed and possesses weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and nuclear weapons. The first of China's nuclear weapons tests took place in 1964, and its first hydrogen bomb test occurred in 1966 ...

, ultimately becoming director of the Chinese Nuclear Weapons Research Institute, now the

China Academy of Engineering Physics China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) ( Chinese: 中国工程物理研究院, nicknamed 九院) was founded in October 1958. The CAEP is China's main organization conducting the research, development, and testing of nuclear weapons and relat ...

(CAEP). He was elected to the

(CAS) and later became the Vice President (1984–1987) and President (1987–1997) of the CAS. Zhou's theoretical work focuses on particle physics. He first visited the US in 1979. In the 1980s he spent time as a visiting researcher at the University of California and

Virginia Polytechnic Institute The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

and at the

European Organization for Nuclear Research European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other We ...

in Switzerland.

Death

Zhou died on August 17, 2024, at the age of 95.

Honors

The

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

3462 Zhouguangzhao is named after him. Zhou was elected to the US

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 1987.

References

External links

US National Academy of Sciences entryentry at chinavitae.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhou, Guangzhao 1929 births 2024 deaths Chinese nuclear physicists Educators from Hunan Chongqing Nankai Secondary School alumni Tsinghua University alumni Peking University alumni Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Royal Society People from Ningxiang Physicists from Hunan Academic staff of the University of Science and Technology of China Vice chairpersons of the National People's Congress