ABOUT PROF. EDGARS I. SILIŅŠ

The Story

Professor Edgars Imants Siliņš (Edgar Silinsh) for many years was the most cited Latvian scientist in the world and the most popular and world-acclaimed Latvian physicist.

E Siliņš has defined the scientific basis for the physics of organic molecular crystals and created framework of electronic-state energetic-structure physics of organic crystals and physics of photogeneration and transfer mechanisms of charge carriers. In the last years of his career E. Siliņš focused on the field of molecular electronics. In 1967 he founded the Laboratory of Physics of Organic Semiconductors at the Institute of Physical Energetics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Later the laboratory moved to the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia. Many of the students and colleagues of Prof. E. Siliņš still work in the laboratory as well as in scientific centers around the world.

From 1992 Professor Siliņš as a full member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences worked to promote international cooperation of the Academy and contributed much to its development towards a European-style academy. In 1997 he received the Grand Medal of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

Together with his friends and colleagues Prof. Siliņš participated in re-establishment of the Riga Rotary Club in 1992 and foundation of Riga Hanza Rotary Club in 1995. Prof. Siliņš dedicated his Rotary service to youth and education and helped many students to study and gain knowledge abroad. Together with Vienna Rotary Club he established now a traditional annual Rotary Charity Dinner for retired academicians in Riga.
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Prof. Siliņš last work was “Search for the Great Truths”, a book that represents his life credo. It is a collection of philosophical essays reflecting not only his broad scientific views of world order, but also covering a wide range of human, art, ethics, religion, social issues that are discussed from historical and cross-cultural perspective. Deep personal thoughts and reflections of the author materialize in this book, written during the last seven years of his life.