Jozef T. Devreese

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Jozef T. Devreese (1937–2023) was a Belgian physicist known for his work in condensed matter physics. He was professor Emeritus of theoretical physics at the University of Antwerp.

Academic career
Devreese graduated from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in 1960 and earned his PhD in physics in 1964. From 1961 to 1966 he worked in the Solid State Physics Department at SCK-CEN in Mol. In 1966 he joined the University of Antwerp as a lecturer and later became a full professor, where he founded the TFVS (Theoretische Fysica van de Vaste Stoffen) research group. From 1977 he also held a position as professor extraordinarius at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Scientific research
Devreese made important contributions to the theory of polarons, especially Fröhlich polarons, including their optical and magneto-optical properties. His work covered quantum theory of solid matter, superconductivity, and superfluidity, and he used methods such as Feynman path integrals and reduced-dimension techniques. He published about 500 articles, with thousands of citations worldwide.

Cultural interests
An enthusiast of classical music, he helped realize the Metzler organ in Antwerp’s Our Lady Cathedral in 1993. He served as chairman of the Flemish Institute for Organ Art (VIVO) from 2000 to 2002 and contributed to studies of Simon Stevin and to promoting the Dutch language and culture.

Distinctions and honors
Devreese received the Vlaamse Leergangen prize for exact and natural sciences (1972). He was a Fellow of the American Physical Society (1990), the European Physical Society (2006), and the Institute of Physics (UK) (2000). He was Honoris Causa of Moldova State University (1995) and an Honorary Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Moldova (2001). He was a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2005).