An extraordinary past
Judith Rosenberg, Scotland’s last Auschwitz survivor, chose to support the University of Strathclyde with a gift of £500,000 in her Will.
Judith was a long-term friend of the University and we were honoured to have the opportunity to discuss her intention and vision for impact during her lifetime, which centred on the advancement of science and technological research.
Born in Hungary on 3 September 1922, she studied at Budapest University but returned home when antisemitic attacks on campus increased. Back in Gyor she became an apprentice to a watchmaker but in April 1944 was deported along with her family and other Hungarian Jews and taken to Auschwitz concentration camp, arriving in May.
That September, she was selected to work in a munitions factory in Lippstadt where her knowledge of watchmaking and physics helped her gain extra rations which she shared with her mother and sister, thanks to mending German officers’ watches. In April 1945 she was liberated, along with her mother and sister, by US soldiers and later became an interpreter for the British Army. It was in this capacity she met her future husband, Lieutenant Harold Rosenberg, a Scottish artillery officer from Glasgow.
Judith and Harold enjoyed almost 60 years of happy marriage, before Harold passed away in 2005. With the support of this legacy gift, we are honoured to celebrate their memory through the Harold and Judith Rosenberg Chairs in Quantum Technology.
Pioneering research for the future
The University has appointed two distinguished researchers to these prestigious Professorial Chair positions.
Professor Jonathan Pritchard, a world-renowned expert in quantum computing, is pioneering research with arrays of ultracold trapped atoms. His work aims to achieve computational tasks that surpass the capabilities of classical computers.
Professor Paul Griffin, an authority in quantum measurement and sensing, is advancing the development of ultraprecise atomic clocks using miniaturised atom traps, atom interferometers and precision magnetometers.
Their research will be further supported by Judith’s generosity, with this legacy gift underpinning infrastructure, equipment, and staff and creating the aptly named Judith and Harold Rosenberg Quantum Research Laboratory.
A good friend of Strathclyde, through her generous legacy gift, Judith Rosenberg is continuing to support world-leading research at the University. With these new appointments and the new quantum research laboratory, we continue to honour her memory and advance our understanding and innovation in science and technology for the benefit of all.