Patricia Solvignon-Slifer, assistant professor of physics at UNH, died Friday, May 27, 2016. She was 41. Her husband, Karl Slifer, also is a member of the physics department.
In addition to her position at UNH, Solvignon-Slifer was a staff scientist at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News, Virginia, a national laboratory funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. She was recognized for excellence in nuclear physics with a Department of Energy Early Career Award and a Jefferson Science Associates Research Prize. Solvignon-Slifer earned a Ph.D. in physics from Temple University where she received the Temple University Outstanding Research by a Graduate Student Award in 2006.
“It was with profound sadness that we received the news of Patricia’s passing. She was a gifted scientist with a good nose for important projects in nuclear physics. I consider myself lucky to have known her and to have played a role in convincing her to join our UNH physics department. She will be terribly missed,” said Samuel B. Mukasa, dean and Eric J. Essene Professor of Geochemistry in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Born on August 17, 1974, in Riom, France, Solvignon-Slifer was the daughter of Roger Joseph Marius Solvignon and Josiane Daulat. In addition to her husband, she is survived by their two daughters, Anna and Kasey Slifer; a brother, Denis Solvignon of France; and her mother.
In lieu of flowers, donations to a GoFundMe page will provide scholarships to the Live & Learn Early Learning Center in Lee that her children attend.
“Her unflinching optimism was a source of inspiration to those whose lives she touched. To the end, she found joy in the simple things in life. She loved nature and appreciated the unique opportunity that Live & Learn day care provided her children to play and grow on a beautiful outdoor farm,” the page reads.
