A distinguished scientist of international renown, whose main areas of work were nuclear physics, particle physics, and medical physics, died on Saturday in Zagreb at the age of 95.
According to information from HAZU, Croatian physicist and academician Ivo Šlaus, a full member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, passed away in Zagreb on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at the age of 95.
Born on September 26, 1931, in Split, Šlaus graduated in physics from the Faculty of Science in Zagreb in 1954 and earned his doctorate from the same faculty in 1958. He held a professorship from 1960 to 2005 and worked at the Ruđer Bošković Institute from 1954 to 1998. Since 2005, he held the title of Professor Emeritus at the University of Zagreb.
His main areas of scientific work were nuclear physics, particle physics, and medical physics. He introduced and advanced new experimental approaches and analytical methods, and his scientific oeuvre includes 411 publications, among them six monographs. He was among the pioneers in studying nuclear interactions off the energy shell, and in the field of medical nuclear physics, he worked on radiopharmaceuticals and the development of neutron radiotherapy. He was also one of the organizers of conferences on nuclear medicine, thereby making a significant contribution to the expansion of this interdisciplinary field.
As a visiting professor, he taught at many universities around the world and also provided consulting services in scientific laboratories. He participated as an invited speaker at 57 international conferences and organized 18 of them. He became a corresponding member of HAZU in 1977 and a full member in 1991.
In addition to his scientific work, Šlaus was also socially active. From 2000 to 2003, he served as a member of the Croatian Parliament for the SDP. Together with academician Ivan Supek, in 1997 he founded the Croatian Movement for Democracy and Social Justice, where he took on the role of Secretary-General.
His international reputation is confirmed by membership in a number of prestigious institutions. Since 1988, he was a member and one of the founders of Academia Europaea, and from 1990 to 1994 he chaired its Committee on Physics and Engineering Sciences. He was also a member of the World Academy of Art and Science (WAAS), serving as its president from 2011 to 2013, and subsequently as its honorary president. Since 1992, he was involved with Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea based in Salzburg, and since 2006 he served as a foreign member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as a corresponding member of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts.
He had been a member of the Club of Rome since 1987, and in 1993 he founded the Croatian Association of the Club of Rome and served as its president. For his work, he received the Ruđer Bošković Prize in 1962 and 1969, and in 2008 he was awarded the State Prize for Science for lifetime achievement. In 2023, he was decorated with the Order of Prince Trpimir, including the necklace and the morning star, awarded for exceptional achievements in scientific work, research activities, and international cooperation, as well as for strengthening Croatia's reputation in the world. Additionally, Telegram journalist Silvana Menđušić interviewed academician Šlaus for Christmas 2024, and that interview remains recorded as one of the last testimonies of his thoughts.
