In memoriam: Iossif Lozovatsky, research professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences
Iossif D. Lozovatsky, research professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences at the University of Notre Dame, passed away Dec. 23. He was 75.
Lozovatsky was an expert in physical oceanography, and his research lab was the world’s oceans. He worked with collaborators from around the world, making more than 20 oceanographic research cruises in the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Antarctic oceans as well as the Baltic, Black, Mediterranean and China seas.
Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Lozovatsky received a master’s degree in oceanography from Lomonosov Moscow State University and a doctorate in physics and math from the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, where he later became a full professor and lead research scientist.
Lozovatsky joined Notre Dame’s Environmental Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (EFD) as a research professor in 2010, after serving for 16 years as a research associate and research professor at Arizona State University’s Center for Environmental Fluid Dynamics. He was a longtime and close collaborator of Joe Fernando, professor of civil and environmental engineering and earth sciences at Notre Dame and EFD’s director.
At Notre Dame, he carried out field measurements, data analysis and theoretical interpretations of ocean turbulence. He was a lead investigator of the Air-Sea Interactions in the Northern Indian Ocean and the Monsoon Intraseasonal Oscillations in the Bay of Bengal projects and was a key scientist of the CASPER air-sea interaction study, collecting data from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
“I’ve worked with Iossif on several projects since 2010, including sharing a week in extremely cramped space on a converted fishing boat in the Magellan Straits,” said Scott Coppersmith, senior EFD research engineer. “He was a good guy, strong-willed and generous. He will be missed.”
Lozovatsky published more than 100 papers in international journals, covering small-scale physical oceanography and aspects of atmospheric science and fluid dynamics. He was a visiting scholar and lecturer at the University of Girona in Spain, the University of Western Australia in Perth, the Ocean University of China in Quindao, and the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
He also was known as a gifted teacher, deepening graduate students’ understanding of their field by providing meticulous training and insightful questioning.
He is survived by his daughter, Maria Lozovatskaya.
Latest Faculty & Staff
- Engineer Ashley Thrall named fellow of the National Academy of InventorsThe National Academy of Inventors has named Ashley Thrall, the Myron and Rosemary Noble Collegiate Professor of Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame, to its 2024 class of fellows. Election as an academy fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors.
- Dockworkers reconsider strike that shut down East and Gulf Coast ports: A conversation with supply chain expert Kaitlin WowakThe union representing dockworkers at U.S. ports walked away from the negotiating table with port employers this week over automation concerns as the two sides face a mid-January deadline to finalize a deal and prevent the resumption of a strike. Business Analytics Professor Kaitlin Wowak discusses potential supply chain disruptions.
- When countries hide their true public debt, they hurt themselves, their citizens and their lendersGlobal public debt may soon collectively catch up to the worldwide gross domestic product (GDP), likely matching it by 2030. New research from a Notre Dame economist suggests that this could happen even sooner, thanks to countries’ hidden debts. This misreported debt can lead to higher interest rates for borrowers and lower recovery rates for lenders, suggesting indirect adverse effects on global financial stability and consumer welfare.
- Law School Professor Derek Muller joins CNN as contributor for 2024 presidential electionNationally recognized election law scholar Derek T. Muller, a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, has joined CNN as a contributor for the 2024 election cycle to provide his perspective and context to the network’s coverage of the presidential race.
- In memoriam: Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P., renowned Notre Dame theologian, father of ‘liberation theology’Rev. Gustavo Gutiérrez, O.P., professor emeritus of theology at Notre Dame and widely regarded as the “father of liberation theology,” died Tuesday (Oct. 22) in Lima, Peru. He was 96.
- Notre Dame Forum to present ‘Fr. TED Talks’ on Catholic social tradition, featuring President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., and Dr. Jim O’ConnellHonoring the legacy of legendary University of Notre Dame President Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., the 2024-25 Notre Dame Forum will host “Fr. TED Talks: Ideas from the Catholic Social Tradition That We Find Inspiring,” a two-night festival on Oct. 28 and 29.
