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Name of creator

Robert Lévy-Mandel

Biographical history

In 1947 Robert Lévy-Mandel obtained a diploma in Engineering from the Institut Polytechnique in Grenoble.

In 1948 he worked at the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA) on the development and construction of Saclay's first particle accelerator, a Van de Graaff machine.

From 1954 to 1957 he was responsible for the coordination, development and construction of the CEA’s Saturne synchrotron, which entered service in 1958.

In 1963 he was appointed as head of the Saturne Synchrotron Department. The team led construction of the Gargamelle bubble chamber, which was installed at CERN, and contributed to other major facilities, including the Big European Bubble Chamber (BEBC).

In 1971 the CERN Council approved construction of a second laboratory (in Prévessin, France), with a Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator, adjoining the existing site Laboratory I (in Meyrin, Switzerland). Lévy-Mandel arrived at CERN as group leader of SPS Site Installation (SPS-SI), appointed by John Adams, Director-General of Laboratory II. Administratively separate since 1971, the two CERN laboratories were united in 1976. Laboratory II was renamed the SPS division and Robert Lévy-Mandel joined the Directorate, with responsibility for technical services and site management.

In 1980 Emilio Picasso asked him to produce a safety report for the Large Electron–Positron Collider (LEP) project. He also produced the INB (Installation Nucléaire de Base) reports submitted to the French authorities to obtain approval. He set up a programme for consultation with the French and Swiss municipalities and organized numerous briefings for the local authorities.

In 1983, the LEP Division was created and Robert Lévy-Mandel was appointed Project Safety Officer. Lévy-Mandel retired in 1988, just before LEP started up, but continued to contribute to the Laboratory’s work.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Robert Lévy-Mandel