Yoseph Imry (23 February 1939 – 29 May 2018) was an Israeli physicist whose research helped establish the field of mesoscopic physics — the study of electronic and quantum phenomena in systems intermediate between microscopic and bulk scales. His work combined theoretical insight with clear exposition, influencing experiments on electronic transport, coherence and disorder in small conductors.

Scientific contributions

Imry made several widely cited contributions to condensed-matter theory. He was a co-author of what is known as the Imry–Ma argument, which assesses the effect of randomness on ordered phases in statistical physics. In mesoscopic physics he clarified how quantum coherence and interference produce observable effects such as sample-specific conductance fluctuations and sensitivity to boundary conditions. He also published reviews and pedagogical material that helped define the subject and make complex ideas accessible to experimentalists and students.

Approach and significance

Mesoscopic physics sits between atomic-scale and macroscopic descriptions: systems are large enough to contain many electrons yet small enough that phase coherence and quantum interference matter. Imry's work emphasized simple, physically transparent arguments and scaling ideas that reveal when classical intuition fails. That perspective aided the interpretation of experiments on tiny metallic wires, quantum dots and rings in which electrons retain phase memory over the device size.

Awards, positions and memberships

  • Wolf Prize in Physics (2016): recognized for leading contributions to the development of mesoscopic physics — see Wolf Prize citation.
  • Israel Prize in Physics (2001): one of Israel's top honors — details at Israel Prize.
  • Rothschild Prize in Physics (1996).
  • Member of national and international academies, including the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities — academy listing.

Imry spent much of his career at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he taught and supervised students while continuing research that bridged theory and experiment. His writing and lectures are frequently cited by researchers working on quantum transport, localization and decoherence in small systems.

He died in Tel Aviv on 29 May 2018 at the age of 79. Notices and remembrances summarizing his life and work are available through institutional and prize webpages and obituary pages: obituary and remembrances.