Pavle Savić

Who was Pavle Savić?

Pavle Savić was a Serbian physicist and chemist.

Born in Thessaloniki, Savić graduated with a degree in physical chemistry from the University of Belgrade in 1932. In 1939, he received a 6 month scholarship from the French government for studying at the Institut du Radium; instead of 6 months, Savić stays for 4 years in France. In the years 1937 and 1938, he worked with Irène Joliot-Curie and Frédéric Joliot-Curie on research action of neutrons on the heavy elements. It was an important step in the discovery of nuclear fission. Together with Irène Joliot-Curie, Savić was nominated for Nobel Prize in Physics.

When World War II began, Savić left France and came back to Yugoslavia to fight as a partisan against German occupation.

After the war he was one of the first promoters of the idea of constructing the Vinča Nuclear Institute in Vinča. He was the principal of the Institute Vinča 1960-1961. In 1966 he returned to his position at his alma mater, the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Department of Physical Chemistry and Department of Physics.