Paskal Sotirovski

Paskal Sotirovski, PhD (Macedonian: Паскал Сотировски; b. 23 November 1927 in Vrben, Gostivar – d. 20 January 2003 in Paris, France) was a famous Macedonian astrophysicist, specialist in Solar Physics.

Paskal finished primary school in the place of birth. He continued his education in Gornji Milanovac (in Serbia) where he finished three grades of the high school. Eventually, he graduated from the Educational School in Belgrade.

Sotirovski spent some years as a school teacher in Bela Crkva, but in 1950 he enrolled as a regular student at the Faculty of Philosophy and Department of Physics at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje. He graduated in 1956 and started teaching physics at the Josip Broz Tito High School in Skopje.

In 1961, Sotirovski was employed as an Assistant Professor of Astrophysics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Skopje. Then, he was sent at specialization in Sorbonne, Paris. In 1964 he graduated with a degree in astrophysics. In 1971 he defended his PhD thesis in Solar Physics, and obtained the highest mark possible.

After getting his PhD degree, Paskal Sotirovski became a member of the French National Center of Scientific Research, which is a great recognition of a scientist's work. He is also a member of the French Department of Solar and Planetary Astronomy and in 1991 he is elected for a member of Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Prof. Sotirovski has his cabinet at the Meudon Observatory in Paris. As a scientist with international reputation he gave lectures in America, Japan, Russia, India etc. His scientific works were published in many journals and magazines around the world. He was able to speak fluently few world languages: English, French, German, Russian, as well as his mother tongue Macedonian.

In the 1990s Paskal Sotirovski established the foundation that bears his name and financially supports the young and talented Macedonian minds.