Roland Schlich

Roland Schlich university training was in geophysics and geology at the University Louis Pasteur (Institut de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg, now Ecole et Observatoire des Sciences de la Terre). He got his engineer diploma in 1956 and did his first training as geophysicist in an oil company. His career as researcher started at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) with an expedition to the Antarctic during the International Geophysical Year (1957–1958). In charge of the geomagnetic programme, he wintered at the Charcot Station at an altitude of 2400 m and 317 km inland , in the vicinity of the South true magnetic pole. He was received Doctor of Science from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI) in 1974 with a thesis on the Structure, Age and Evolution of the Indian Ocean.

After his Antarctic experience, his research interests focussed on Solar-Terrestrial geophysics. In charge of the French Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic observatories he conducted several large field experiments on magnetic rapid variations at high latitude and magnetically conjugated stations. Later in 1968, he moved to marine geology and geophysics and launched a long-term research programme in the Southern Indian Ocean. Chief scientist for 30 oceanographic cruises, co-chief scientist on board Glomar Challenger (Leg 25 in 1972), and Joides Resolution (Leg 120 in 1988) he proposed an original synthesis for the structure, age and evolution of the Indian Ocean. Between 1960 to 1998 he produced more than 180 scientific publications, review papers, reports, and presented almost 120 papers as contributed or invited talks at national or international meetings. He provided guidance to students in geophysics and supervised 27 university diplomas and 21 PhD thesis.

Roland Schlich was head of the CNRS Marine Geophysical Laboratory (1972–1980) and served as deputy director for the “Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris” (1976–1979). He moved to the University of Strasbourg and served as director for the “Ecole et Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg” (1980–1996). During the same period he was head of the “Laboratoire de Géophysique Interne de Strasbourg”. He has served and still serves on several national and international scientific committees dealing with geophysics and geology. He also served as Treasurer of the European Union of Geosciences (1982–1996) founded in 1981 in Strasbourg and later as Chief Executive of the same Union (1996–2002). Now he serves as Treasurer of the European Geosciences Union.

Roland Schlich is recipient of the Prize Tchihatchef (Académie des Sciences de Paris, 1975), the Prize Barrabé (Socièté Géologique de France, 1976) and the Prize Leon Lutaud (Académie des Sciences de Paris, 1996). He was awarded Chevalier de l’Ordre de l’Etoile Noire (1958), Chevalier and Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite (1968, 1985), and Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (1994).

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