Hung "PQ" Pham , 74, passed away on Monday, October 7th, 2024, in Charlottesville, Virginia, surrounded by his loving family. He is survived by his wife, Simonetta Liuti, and his three children, Gabriel, Viviana, and Bruno. He is also survived by his three sisters, Nga, Van, and Phuong. PQ was born on June 10th, 1950, in Ninh Binh, Vietnam, the youngest of nine siblings. After leaving Vietnam, PQ lived in Montreal and eventually attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he pursued his Bachelor of Science in Physics. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in Particle Physics at UCLA and postdoctoral work at UC Berkeley and Fermilab before joining the University of Virginia as an assistant professor. PQ began his work at UVA in 1982 and remained there until his retirement in 2022 as a Professor Emeritus.

During his tenure at UVA, PQ explored physics beyond the Standard Model, including the origin of neutrino mass, the search for Long-Lived Particles and magnetic monopoles at the LHC through the MoEDAL collaboration, and making theoretical predictions of the Weak Mixing Angle, with implications for both theoretical and experimental particle physics. He was committed to advancing education in Physics in Vietnam and was awarded the title of Honorary Professor for his work with Hue University. He also received Vietnam's Medal for the Cause of Science and Technology in 2013. After retirement, he continued to work on his research in monopoles.

PQ devoted much of his life to his passion for research, but his life was full outside of work as well. He loved music and enjoyed discovering genres and musical styles from around the world. His musical taste was diverse, ranging from the Beatles to Mexican ballads. He fully immersed himself in cultures from around the world, and his culinary palate was as eclectic as his taste in music. PQ was always open to trying new foods and recipes, and he passed many of these interests and hobbies down to his three children.

A viewing will be held from 4-6 p.m. on Friday, October 11th, 2024, at Anderson Funeral Home in Crozet, Va.

Arrangements by Anderson Funeral Services Crozet, VA