[SABIOD] Gianni Pavan

Pr Gianni Pavan (CIBRA, Italy)

Gianni Pavan, a friend, an inspiring expert, gently guiding us to our best.
His scientific reputation was exceptional, based on essential articles published in scientific revues and international conferences.
Since the 2000’s, he has been involved in major scientific projects on underwater acoustics. He created his own laboratory at the University of Pavia, Italy. He developed and deployed electronic materials and software to analyze the acoustic recordings, and to highlight the biophony, the geophony and the anthrophony.
He was one of the first to record sounds emitted by cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea. He worked for public institutions, including the Universities and the Navy, and also for private companies active in Marine engineering.
He was also the organizer of many conferences, including the International Bio-Acoustic Council in 2007 and the 4^th International Workshop on Detection, Classification, Localization and Density Estimation of Marine Mammals using Passive Acoustics held in his University in Pavia, 2009. He was part of many projects as the European Biodiversa EUROPAM, SEASOUNDS, CIAN projects, and many Phd directions.
Gianni was always positive and motivated for scientific projects in bioacoustics. We all have nice stories with him to remember and to tell. Some are resumed below and here is a recent talk you can listen:

Anthropophony, 15e Journée Scientifique de l’Université de Toulon, march 2023, 30’
We miss him already, and on this sad day, we extend our condolences to his family and friends.

Personal memories ⁽¹⁾

Gianni, my dear friend, you gave us confidence to follow crazy ideas. You liked to take risks and to smile towards difficult situations, always with wisdom and perspicacity. You shared so generously your passion and your time. Hiking, jumping, jocking, recording, thinking, writing, teaching... We eternally thank you for your spirit, that will live with us, deep in our heart. We miss you so much.
- Hervé Glotin, Pr University of Toulon, FR

Gianni, you were so inspiring for all of us, you gave us plenty of new challenging ideas, gave advice to young researchers, all that with always positive feelings ! You will miss us so much, there is no word to say how we are sad today…
- Valentin Gies, Pr University of Toulon, FR

Thank you for all you did as an engineer in bioacoustics, electronics, signal processing and pattern recognition. Very impressive. Your passion for cetaceans and for the marine environment was so inspiring. I will keep great memories about you, especially during the DCLDE conferences. I miss you already.
- Olivier Adam, Pr University of Sorbonne, FR

Gianni, you left us too young. I will miss seeing you at conferences, and your parting is the field’s loss. May your memory live on in those who you have inspired and whose lives you touched.
- Marie Roch, Pr San Diego State University, USA

Gianni, we will miss you as a friend and as a colleague.
- Pascale Giraudet, Dr University of Toulon, FR

Bioacoustics has just lost a pillar. I remember all those IBAC conferences where you shared your passion for the latest sound analysis technologies. The conferences in Cogne and Pavia are such great memories! I will miss your good humour, your smile and your kindness.
- Nicolas Mathevon, Pr University of Saint-Etienne, FR

We have lost a great in our field. Gianni, we will always remember your smile, your friendship, your way of getting along with absolutely everyone. That’s not to mention your professional accomplishments, founding CIBRA, organizing IBAC, presenting a DCL workshop, and all your research around the world. We will miss you.
- Dave Mellinger, Pr Oregon State University, USA

Gianni, your knowledge, your voice, your kindness, your smile will never be forgotten by all of us. Hard to pick up just one common souvenir together, you were visiting us so often. The bioacoustic community lost a great researcher and personally someone I liked to share so diverse discussions off-record. Thank you for everything you gave to us and also for the incoming generation thanks to your admirable work.
- Sébastien Paris, A. Pr University of Toulon, FR

I was deeply saddened to learn of the premature passing of Gianni Pavan. Gianni was an outstanding and inspirational researcher who contributed so much to the field of marine and terrestrial bioacoustics. But, most importantly, he was an exceptionally kind and humble person. He was a great mentor to many, and I enjoyed our spirited discussions over the years. Rest in peace, Gianni. You will be sorely missed!
- Holger Klinck, Pr Cornell University, USA

Gianni, I met you as a juror for my Ph.D., and it is thanks to you that I became a doctor. As a colleague, our discussions on Mediterranean cetaceans were truly captivating, and your passion has been a constant source of inspiration. I am immensely proud to have co-written alongside you. Beyond our professional relationship, you became a friend, and I am grateful for your infectious good mood, warm smile, and unwavering kindness. My deepest thoughts and condolences go out to your family in this difficult time.
- Marion Poupard, Dr University of Toulon, FR

Goodbye Gianni. There are many things I could say, but in the end the generosity and kind heartedness stand out above all else. It mattered not what side of the Atlantic we met, the smile, that in turn made me smile, was always present. Rest in peace.
- Dave Moretti, Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), USA

Gianni, thank you for your support as co-supervisor during my PhD. You were such a great teacher, always kind and available to help out. You were a true inspiration for following one’s passion. I am deeply saddened by your sudden passing. My thoughts go to your family and close friends. You will be missed and I know that your voice and heart will still be found in soundscapes recorded worldwide.
- Noreen Blaukat, former PhD student, University of Toulon, FR

Gianni, non essendo un bioacustico, purtroppo ti ho conosciuto solo di recente e per questo mi dispiace molto. Non vedevo l'ora di vivere insieme la folle avventura di SEASOUNDS e so che anche tu non vedevi l'ora di lavorare con tutti noi. Al di là della tua incredibile competenza e dei tuoi consigli, il tuo entusiasmo durante la stesura del progetto mi ha ispirato e davvero galvanizzato. Ricorderò sempre la tua gentilezza e il tuo sorriso. Mancherai a tutto il consorzio SEASOUNDS. Mi mancherai moltissimo. Ma so che, da dove sei, ci guarderai con un grande sorriso e noi saremo con te. Faremo tutto il possibile per renderti orgoglioso di noi. Ciao Gianni Le mie più sincere condoglianze agli amici, ai colleghi e alla famiglia di Gianni. Con affetto.
- Nathalie Favretto-Cristini, Direttore di ricerca del CNRS, Laboratoire de Mécanique et d'Acoustique, Marsiglia, FR

We all have suffered a great loss. I have many fond memories from the DCLDE workshop that Gianni generously hosted in Pavia. Hosting such a meeting is often stressful, but Gianni seemed to float above all the stress with his infectious smile and never-ending passion for sharing knowledge in his favorite field. We will miss him terribly.
- Jay Barlow, independent researcher, San Diego, California, USA

Gianni… What can I say that hasn’t already been said by others? Now that it’s been more than two weeks since your unexpected death, I might be able to write something somewhat coherent. Even though we rarely saw each other in person, you became a dear friend from the first time we met at the World Marine Mammal Conference in Monaco in 1998. It was in 1997 that you first emailed me looking for hydrophones for your research projects. From that time forward, you always asked for more features or better specifications than I currently had, and in doing so you encouraged me to constantly improve what I had to offer to the rest of the marine bioacoustics community. Your brief stay at my home in 1998 when you demonstrated how to make your special microwave oven “roasted” vegetable was quite memorable. You invited me to my first IBAC meeting in Cogne in 2001 and encouraged me to remain involved in the bioacoustics community even though I was not affiliated with a university. The incredible 2013 Erice meeting on Outer Space Neutrinos and Whale Echolocation that you organized seemed tailor made for my academic and work backgrounds, and what an incredible workshop that was! Of all the memories I have with you, the ones that revolve around food are what I’ll remember most fondly. You loved to introduce me to tasty delights, whether it be special thick Italian hot chocolate in the Val d'Aosta or unique ancient desserts found in Vigevano. Of course, your IBAC meetings always had incredible meals! In general, your passion for the world through sound and taste affected so many others in the most positive ways. You told me on several occasions how important it is that people experience the world with all their senses and not just by reading about it in a text book or watching a video. I will continue to pass on your advise and passion to others whenever and wherever I can. Ciao, Gianni!
- Joe Olson, Cetacean Communication, Seattle, Washington, USA

Gianni, you were a great scientist and a great personne. You already miss to science, marine mammals and definitely to us.
- Marion Peirache, Port-Cros National Park, FR

Please add your memories here

Calibration during Bioacoustics Workshop - march 2023 - Toulon