Joël Mesot, born in Geneva, studied physics at ETH Zurich. After receiving his diploma, he performed his PhD on high-temperature superconductors. During his thesis work he spent 2 years at the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL/France). Since 2004 he was heading the Laboratory for Neutron Scattering of ETH Zurich and PSI.
His main research interests are in the field of strongly correlated materials exhibiting close bonds between electrons, spins and lattices, such as superconductors, metal oxides and quantum magnets.
For his research work he was awarded the 1995-IBM prize of the Swiss Physical Society and the 2002-Latsis prize of ETH Zurich. From 2003 to 2006 he was chairman of the subcommittee “structural and magnetic excitations” of ILL and since 2003 he is the main Editor of “Neutron News”. In 2007 he became chair of the PSI research commission.