A dear, brilliant, fair and honest man, he will be sorely missed.
Arnon Zigman was born in the farming community of Gedera in 1939. He completed high school in Rehovot in 1957, and served in the IDF artillery corps. After his military service, he studied at the Technion in the Department of Chemical Engineering, completing his BSc in 1964 and his MSc in 1969.
Immediately after completing his studies, he travelled to the United States to obtain his PhD at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1969, after earning his doctorate, he was accepted for a research position at Allied Chemicals in New Jersey.
Upon his return to Israel, Prof. Arnon worked at the Industrial Research Center between 1969 and 1971. In 1978, Prof. Arnon became a member of the Department of Materials Engineering at the Technion, where he worked until his retirement. His expertise was in polymer science and engineering.
In 1988, Prof. Arnon was promoted to a full professor and subsequently, held the Phillip Frame Chair in Materials Engineering. Prof. Arnon conducted research at the DuPont Corporation in Delaware and at Johnson & Johnson in New York. He was also a guest professor at Case Western Reserve University, at Stuttgart University and at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.
Prof. Arnon was chief scientist at the startup company SBPM, which engaged in the development of biological adhesives. Prof. Arnon served as the Dean of the Department of Materials Engineering between 1991-1993 and 2002-2003. He was also a member of faculty committees, Technion committees and national committees. Between 1994-1998, Prof. Arnon was the Chairman of the Ministry of Science’s steering committee for the development of materials science and engineering infrastructure. Prof. Arnon served as the President of the Israel Polymers and Plastics Society. Subsequent to his requirement, he passed away in 2016.
Prof. Arnon was married to Yehudit and they had three children and six grandchildren. The Technion and the Faculty were dear to his heart and his second home until his dying day.