Discussion journal of the Mössbauer Community

["Hermann, Raphael P." <hermannrp AT ornl.gov>]

Dear colleagues,

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Professor 
Dominic H. Ryan (1960–2026) of McGill University. Dominic was a long-standing 
and highly respected member of the Mössbauer community, known to many of us 
through his scientific work, conference participation, and direct, generous 
engagement with colleagues and students.

Dominic first came to McGill in 1984 as a summer student researcher from 
Trinity College Dublin, where he was working under J. M. D. Coey. He returned 
to McGill as a postdoctoral researcher in 1986, became an assistant professor 
in 1988, and went on to build a distinguished career there. He was widely 
recognized for his expertise in the Mössbauer effect, including the 
development of sophisticated experimental systems and important work 
extending beyond iron to isotopes such as europium.

Over the years, Dominic also made major contributions in neutron scattering 
and condensed-matter physics. He served the broader scientific community in 
Canada as Vice-President and later President of the Canadian Institute for 
Neutron Scattering, and as Director of McGill’s Centre for the Physics of 
Materials. Across his career, he authored over 200 publications in the 
Mössbauer literature, and more than 300 peer-reviewed papers overall, while 
mentoring many students and young researchers.

Even in recent years, Dominic remained actively engaged in the scientific 
community, and he was recognized with a 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award from 
the Institute of Physics for the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter.

We fondly remember his participation in the 9th North American Mössbauer 
International Symposium in Oak Ridge in 2024. He regaled us with “The Dangers 
of Idle Curiosity” in his studies of EuPd3S4. We will miss his unique 
combination of humor and no-nonsense approach to science.

Those who knew Dominic will remember not only his scientific rigor and 
experimental creativity, but also his wit, candor, and strong commitment to 
the community. He will be greatly missed.

On behalf of many friends and colleagues in Mössbauer spectroscopy, we extend 
our sincere condolences to his family, friends, students, and colleagues at 
McGill.

Raphael Hermann, Ercan Alp, Wenli Bi, Ralf Roehlsberger

A memorial article at McGill University can be found here:
https://www.physics.mcgill.ca/gen/dominic/dominic.html<https://urldefense.us/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.physics.mcgill.ca_gen_dominic_dominic.html&d=DwMFAg&c=v4IIwRuZAmwupIjowmMWUmLasxPEgYsgNI-O7C4ViYc&r=F1ILeHnCDLJd4Ml3aoiNF8YwcZqNJRZhvgUQ8jj-KYg&m=WRJITDSZnGAnJjlUF3grnCkJssi3XAVL2TNM2_zma7tXz5DCyfNyVOxA5W8rFFgE&s=wIjrcCxjTJdTMxb1ayLk-vNi5IUbAgWb-Jq6veSlGrM&e=>




--
Raphaël P. Hermann
Senior Researcher
Neutron and X-ray Scattering Group
Materials Science and Technology Division
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Bldg. 4515, Rm. 233, MS-6064
1, Bethel Valley Rd*
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6064    USA
Phone: 865-576-4264

*Valid for package delivery. // For USPS service only: Replace with P.O. Box 
2008