In remembrance
In Remembrance: Mathieu Rouault
30 January 2023Dear students and colleagues
It is with heartfelt sympathy that we write to inform you of the passing of our colleague, Professor Mathieu Rouault (61), on 17 January 2023.
Professor Rouault joined the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 1992 as a research officer. He was with the Water Research Commission until 2016 when he was appointed to a South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI) position for Ocean and Atmospheric Modelling in the Department of Oceanography.
He has been described by colleagues as someone who was larger than life; and who was passionate about science, his many students, surfing, and research – which included modelling Benguela El Niños. His research work included crossing the Agulhas current 12 times in four days, onboard the FRS Algoa in 1995, to prove how cloud conditions varied across the current; measuring waves south of Madagascar from a canoe or working in Still Bay on the local weather stations.
He was a hands-on professor who loved field work and enjoyed working with multiple datasets and testing various hypothesis. Professor Rouault was internationally recognised for his expertise on the impact of the ocean environment on weather systems, forecasts and global trends.
He is survived by his parents, ex-wife Marjolaine Krug and sons Tanguy, Felix and Raphael.
He will be buried on Friday, 3 February, in Kalk Bay. The funeral service will take place at the Anglican Holy Trinity church in Kalk Bay at 10:00.
The university has reached out to offer support to the Rouault family and during this time of bereavement our sincere condolences go out to them and all who knew and loved him.
Sincerely
The UCT Executive
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