Marijan Šunjić () (born 5 April 1940 in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

) is a Croatian physicist, university professor, former rector of the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb ( hr, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, ; la, Universitas Studiorum Zagrabiensis) is the largest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of ...

and a diplomat. Šunjić went to the

Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb The Classical Gymnasium ( hr, Klasična gimnazija) is a gymnasium high school (similar to a grammar school in England and Wales) situated in Zagreb, Croatia. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1607. In its first year it had 260 students a ...

and later enrolled at the

Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb Faculty of Science ( hr, Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet,lit. the Faculty of natural sciences and mathematics abbr: ''PMF'') is a faculty of the University of Zagreb that comprises seven departments - biology, physics, chemistry, mathemati ...

( Croatian ''Prirodoslovno-matematički fakultet'' or ''PMF'') where he graduated from the Physics department in 1963. In 1966 he earned his Master of Science degree at the Faculty of Science with a thesis in theoretical

solid-state physics Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...

and in 1970 the earned a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

at the

Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

. Between 1963 and 1970 he worked at the

Ruđer Bošković Institute The Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI; hr, Institut Ruđer Bošković, , IRB) is a research institute located in the Šalata neighborhood of Zagreb, Croatia, founded in 1950, which studies the sciences. Description It is the largest Croatian resea ...

and in 1981 he became a professor at the Zagreb Faculty of Science. Between 1983 and 1989 he was the head of the department for postgraduate studies in physics at the Faculty of Science. Šunjić held many posts in Croatian and international university associations and between 1990 and 1991 he held the post of assistant to the Croatian Science Minister

Osman Muftić Osman is the Persian transliteration and derived from the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, , link=no ''‘uthmān'') or an English surname. It may refer to: People * Osman (name), people with the name * Osman I Osman ...

. Šunjić then served as the Rector of the

for almost seven years between 25 April 1991 and 8 February 1998, and between 1998 and 2000 he was Croatia's ambassador to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

. His main scientific interests are in the area of theoretical

condensed matter physics Condensed matter physics is the field of physics that deals with the macroscopic and microscopic physical properties of matter, especially the solid and liquid phases which arise from electromagnetic forces between atoms. More generally, the sub ...

, especially

surface physics Surface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid– liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid–gas interfaces. It includes the f ...

electron spectroscopy Electron spectroscopy refers to a group formed by techniques based on the analysis of the energies of emitted electrons such as Photoelectric effect, photoelectrons and Auger electrons. This group includes X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), wh ...

(

HREELS High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) is a tool used in surface science. The inelastic scattering of electrons from surfaces is utilized to study electronic excitations or vibrational modes of the surface of a material or of m ...

) and

photoemission The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons when electromagnetic radiation, such as light, hits a material. Electrons emitted in this manner are called photoelectrons. The phenomenon is studied in condensed matter physics, and solid sta ...

. He has published over 100 scientific papers. He is a member of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

in London and the

American Institute of Physics The American Institute of Physics (AIP) promotes science and the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies. Its corpora ...

. Šunjić was also made honorary senator of the

University of Maribor The University of Maribor ( sl, Univerza v Mariboru) is Slovenia's second-largest university, established in 1975 in Maribor, Slovenia. It currently has 17 faculties. History The university's roots reach back to 1859, when a theological semin ...

and he received an honorary doctorate from the

University of Mostar The University of Mostar ( hr, Sveučilište u Mostaru; la, Universitas Studiorum Mostariensis) is the largest public university located in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Previously it was called the University Džemal Bijedić of Mostar, n ...

References

Selected publications

* * * * *

External links

Biography
at the

Metanexus Institute The Metanexus Institute is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 to explore scientific and philosophical questions. The institute has organized the exchange of ideas through conferences, and published books. History With the help of Peter ...

Biography
at the

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Sunjic, Marijan 1940 births Living people Scientists from Zagreb Croatian physicists Croatian diplomats Ambassadors of Croatia to the Holy See Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb alumni Academic staff of the University of Zagreb Rectors of the University of Zagreb Yugoslav expatriates in the United Kingdom

See also

References

Selected publications

External links