French Winner of Nobel Prize for Physics Pierre-Gilles De Gennes Dies

May 29, 10:31 AM

Current Headlines: French winner of Nobel Prize for Physics Pierre-Gilles de Gennes dies

PARIS, May 22 (Xinhua) -- French physicist Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, winner of Nobel Prize of Physics in 1991, died Friday at the age of 74 years, French daily Le Monde reported Tuesday.

The burial will strictly be a private affair, de Gennes' family was quoted as saying by Le Monde without giving any further details.

De Gennes was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1991, after accomplishing groundbreaking work in liquid crystals and polymers.

Described as the "Isaac Newton of our time" by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, at the time of winning the Nobel Prize, de Gennes was the sole winner of the prize in 1991, whereas this supreme scientific distinction has traditionally been shared by two or three researchers.

Pierre-Gilles de Gennes was a member of the Academy of Sciences and a honorary professor of the College de France.

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