Thomas Maurice Rice

What we once have enjoyed we can never lose.

All that we love deeply becomes part of us.

Obituary

Thomas Maurice Rice, beloved husband, father, and grandfather and dedicated scientist, peacefully passed away on July 18th, 2024 - at the age of eighty five.

Born on January 26th, 1939 in Dundalk. Co. Louth, Ireland, Maurice grew up with strong family values and a deep desire of learning. He was the second son of James and Maureen Rice, who instilled the importance of education in him at a young age. Maurice went to the local Christian Brothers School, Coláiste Rís, where he was taught in Irish, English and Latin. He enjoyed swimming in the cold waters of the Irish Sea at Gyles' Key and he was known to say in later years that no other water temperature could compete with the Irish Sea. At the age of 17 he started his undergraduate degree in Physics at University College of Dublin on a full academic scholarship and then left Ireland for graduate school at Churchill College, Cambridge UK, and his Ph.D. with Volker Heine. Maurice loved his time in Cambridge and picked up a life long passion for Indian food, especially spicy lamb vindaloo.

In 1964, he moved to the USA and spent two years as a postdoc with Walter Kohn at the University of California, San Diego. He adapted quickly to Californian life and life style and famously drove his bright yellow Studebaker convertible through La Jolla.
It was there in Southern California, where he met his future wife Helen Dora Spreiter. After a short courtship, they married in 1966 in Heiden, Switzerland and moved to Summit, New Jersey. From 1966 until 1981 Maurice was fellow researcher at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Bell Labs had a cross disciplinary culture and big collaboration ethic that made it an exciting hub for research at the time. A perfect place for a dedicated scientist like Maurice. During that period in New Jersey Peter, Susan and Margrit were born. Maurice became an American citizen, enjoyed watching baseball and the various other American tv sports and jogged regularly. He made many friends for life at Bell Labs and  loved being part of an elaborate "supper club" with them. In 1976 Helen and Maurice purchased a summer cottage on Long Island and spent much of their quality time there at the shores of Peconic Bay. 

In 1981 they moved to Zurich, Switzerland when he became a tenured Professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. At the age of 41 he was asked to learn German and after one year he could offer his lectures in German. Maurice cherished the freedom and independence of his professorship. He thrived working with his students, seeing them grow and develop and enjoyed sharing ideas and current events over lunch. During his successful time at the ETH his research focus was on the theory behind high temperature superconductivity, an emerging field also with growing experimental results. His successful career was emphasised by becoming an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1988, receiving a D.Sc (h.c.) National University of Ireland in 1989, a member of the American National Academy of Science in 1993, and becoming a fellow of the Royal Society (UK) in 2002. He was awarded the EPS Europhysics Prize in 1998 and the John Bardeen Prize in 2000.

In Switzerland Maurice started skiing in winter and hiked through the Swiss alps in summer. Maurice would always spend part of his summer with his family at his beloved cottage in Southampton, NY. As an avid fisherman, bird enthusiast and ocean swimmer, he loved the simple life being at the beach.

After retiring from teaching in 2004 Maurice still was successfully involved in research at the ETH, running guest lectures at Hong Kong University, and during summer months he was a regular consultant for the Brookhaven National Laboratories on Long Island.

And there were his grandchildren, Avery, Lauren, Yaelle and Damian. He was a proud and happy grandfather. He was a quiet and highly intellectual person. An avid reader, he enjoyed discussing politics and history. 

Maurice cheated death several times but in the end lost his fight with Parkinson's disease. He is remembered by his wife Helen, his children Peter, Susan and Margrit and their families. Maurice's life was celebrated by his immediate family in a private ceremony. Maurice's legacy lives on through the countless lives he touched, the values he upheld, the research he drove forward and the love he shared with his family. He will be deeply missed but forever cherished.

Donations in Maurice’s name can be made to «Doctors without Borders», www.msf.ch, Médecins Sans Frontières, 1211 Genève 1, Switzerland
IBAN: CH18 0024 0240 3760 6600 Q, BIC: UBSWCHZH80A, note «Maurice Rice».

Timeline

Gallery

Memory wall

February 10, 2025

Maurice Rice was not only a very distinguished and respected physicist but also a very approachable and encouraging person. I first met him two decades ago in EPFL where I was a postdoc. It was a brief interaction, during which I excitedly introduced myself to him, and told him that I want to see ETH Zürich. He promptly said, "Come and give a talk". I was elated by that proposition, and soon thereafter visited ETH Zürich, gave a seminar in the Pauli lecture hall, and met Walter Kohn. It was all very exciting and romantic for me to be visiting a place associated with Einstein and Pauli and other greats of modern science. Thank you so much, Prof. Rice, for making that happen. Rest in peace!

Brijesh Kumar

September 14, 2024

Maurice, as Head of the Theory Department at Bell Labs, was my mentor when I first joined Bell Labs in 1976. We worked and published several papers together during my first five years at Bell, until he moved on to ETH. Maurice introduced me to the physics of disordered systems, something that has been a large part of my research for over four decades.

While our research paths diverged later, it was always a pleasure to meet with Maurice and discuss the interesting physics we each were involved in at the time - whether it was during my visits to ETH in the 1980s (when I also got to meet with Helen and reminisce about the "Bell Labs days"), or later at various professional conferences.

Besides his mentorship in physics, Maurice organized my immigration papers in a most efficient way, so that the normally multi-year process took only a few months. For both these, I will be eternally grateful to Maurice Rice, a wonderful mentor, an exemplar physicist and a kind human being.

Ravindra Bhatt

August 28, 2024

Maurice was an amazing man, definitely one of the most insightful persons I have ever met. Whatever the subject, discussing with him was enjoyable and instructive. In the first place about physics of course. Like many of his collaborators I am still working on problems that popped up during my postdoc with him, and that was more than 35 years ago! But Maurice enjoyed discussing about many other things, and I was always impressed by the depth and intelligence with which he looked at the world in general, not just physics. And when it came to help young physicists find their way in the condensed matter theory community, a tough one in many respects, he was unbelievably helpful and efficient. The advices he gave me at three specific points in my career all came as surprises, but following them turned out to be the best decisions I ever took.

Thanks a lot Maurice for being the man you were.

The picture was taken in Beijing in 2017. The guy on the right is Natan Andrei.

Frédéric Mila

August 3, 2024

I have very fond memories of sharing a flat at Churchill College for three years with Maurice and Garry Lindberg while we were doing our PhD research at Cambridge. Maurice was always good natured, cheerful and witty and we had a great time. We were part of the first intake of 25 students to the then new college and the picture shows Maurice, fifty years on, holding the spade that Sir Winston used to plant two trees, a year before we arrived. I am also grateful to Maurice for being an excellent best man at my wedding in 1964 when he was an assistant lecturer at the University of Birmingham. I am very saddened and offer my sincere sympathy to Helen and family.

Derek Longmore

August 1, 2024

So many great memories crowd in to console us as we share with Helen and family their loss.
We relive the excitement of visiting with him his home haunts in Dundalk area as a youngster.
It was such fun to reconnect in Zurich and Long Island.
He has left the world and us better for his life. Thanks.

Joan and Richard Martin

July 30, 2024

Maurice and my mom are first cousins and I had the tremendous good fortune to be invited to Switzerland to ski with Maurice, Helen, Peter, Susan and Margrit when I was just 14 years old. Thus began an enduring passion for skiing and a lifelong love for him and his gorgeous family. I am truly thankful to have been able to spend time with him. Sending love and light.

Lisa Power (nee Martin)

July 30, 2024

Maurice was an amazing teacher and a true role model for me during my postdoc with him from 1995 to 1998. Talking with him about both intellectual and personal topics had a huge impact on my life. He pushed me to think about science in ways I never had before, showing me how to analyze experiments and come up with phenomenological models, not just stick to the techniques I already knew. Maurice also showed me how to live a balanced life, enjoying travel, sports, and culture alongside an academic career. I have fond memories of our debates about US politics—he always saw some clever strategy behind the scenes, while I thought it was just naive reactions. Those conversations were some of the best I’ve ever had. Maurice shaped my personal growth in so many ways, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that.

Stephan Haas

July 29, 2024

I was Maurice's PhD student at the ETH Zürich 1985-1988. What a time it was to have a great mentor like him! During my PhD, high-temperature superconductivity was discovered across the lake and Maurice's group was fully involved, starting from day one. There was a problem though. Naively as I was, I expected all physicists to have a deep understanding as my mentor. Soon enough, I discovered however my error. I will always remember him. May he rest in peace.

Claudius Gros

July 29, 2024

The condensed matter community has lost a genial leader and I have lost a great friend.
Acquaintance at Bell labs ripened into friendship through many meetings in the US, Switzerland and India. We were even supposed to write a book together but then high Tc happened.
Maurice will live on; many of his contributions will last long; the school in Physics he established in ETH will continue to flourish.

T V Ramakrishnan

July 29, 2024

Maurice is one of the scientists who crossed my path, whom I admire the most. He was always ready to give an opportunity to everybody to grow and show their potential. I am profoundly grateful to him for his example of humanity, professionalism, and kindness. I recall the dinners with seminar guests at Brasserie Lipp in Zurich, where he paid oysters to all the PhD students, stating that “we needed to get some culture in eating”. It was lovely, I think of him until today, 30 years later, every time when I eat oysters. I remember when he was about to be operated from his brain tumor that I thought that I could not risk to lose him without telling him how much I admired him as a person and professional. He listened to it in silence and didn’t comment. Maybe he felt embarrassed by my exaggerated Brazilian style, but I really meant each word that I said. It is with profound sadness that I receive the message of his departure, and I am very grateful for all the influence that he had in my life and career. I send my deepest condolences to the family, and a kiss in their heart.

Cristiane Morais Smith

July 29, 2024

I have very good memories of the time that I spent working with Maurice at ETH. He was always kind and relaxed, and provided good scientific advice. He was very accessible and was good at guessing what I was asking, even when I didn't know myself very well. He influenced extraordinarly my career. I learnt so much from him,
We will all miss him.
My most sincere condolences
Leni

Leni Bascones

Favorites