Obituaire en français

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of Jean Cunge, which occurred on Monday 2 October 2023 in his eighty-ninth year.

Jean Cunge made a major contribution to the international development of digital hydraulics and was one of the main architects of its recognition as a discipline: hydroinformatics. Always keen to communicate, he was a key player in learned societies, both nationally (SHF - Société Hydrotechnique de France) and internationally (IAHR).

An internationally renowned scientist in the field of hydraulics and a professor who has taught at the universities of Fort-Collins (Colorado, USA), Grenoble INP and Nice Sophia Antipolis in France, as well as at the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Delft (Netherlands), Jean Cunge spent most of his career as a consulting engineer at Sogreah and the Laboratoire d'Hydraulique de France, over a period of four decades. Alongside Alexandre Preissmann, another great name in numerical hydraulics, he was at the origin of exceptionally innovative and effective modelling algorithms, which have remained benchmarks in the profession for decades.

Hydraulic engineers will also recognize in him an algorithm for calculating the propagation of flow waves in canals and rivers known internationally as the "Muskingum-Cunge method", or, among his many publications, the pioneering book "Practical Aspects of Computational River Hydraulics", co-edited with Forrest M. Holly, who trained in engineering with Jean and later became President of the IAHR, and Adri Verwey. This book is still a benchmark in the teaching of computational hydraulics.

In the 1980s and 90s, Jean Cunge was on the lookout for technological leaps and seized every opportunity presented by the development of information and communication technologies, working with his team to integrate them into more global decision-making tools. Thanks to his efforts, prototype applications were developed in Europe, China, and other countries around the world. In addition to his engineering activities, Jean Cunge has made a major contribution to promoting training in the field of hydroinformatics with the European consortium EuroAquae as part of the Erasmus Mundus programme since 2004. For more than 15 years, hundreds of international students have had the opportunity to discuss scientific and technical subjects with him, as well as their professional future in a constantly changing environment.

His quick-wittedness, his unrivalled capacity for analysis and the relevance of his judgements, as well as his outspokenness and his positions, which often went against the grain of the major currents of thought, to carry high the colours of hydroinformatics and its values of loyalty, excellence, and innovation, have left their mark on all those he has crossed paths with, both professionally and extra-professionally.

Finally, his close colleagues can testify to a man of great kindness and dedication, committed to team spirit yet attentive to the interests of each individual, warm and caring, with a strong charisma.

We thank him from the bottom of our hearts for all he has given us. Our thoughts are with his children and family.

Prof. Jean-Paul Chabard, Dr-Ing. Patrick Sauvaget and Prof. Philippe Gourbesville

Condolence messages

If you wish to leave a condolence message please contact obituaries@iahr.org

This is very sad news. I knew Jean well and his death touches me deeply. He played a key role in the development of hydraulic simulation and hydroinformatics in general. He was very active in scientific associations such as IAHR and SHF, but he also trained a whole generation of researchers and engineers in France through his work at LHF and then at SOGREAH. He also taught in various organizations.
Prof. Jean-Paul Chabard. President SHF

He was the epitome of happy combination of very clever researcher and most capable engineer.
Prof. Giampaolo Di Silvio. Universitá di Padova

I am sad to inform you that Jean Cunge just passed away. He has been very active in the field of river hydraulics and hydroinformatics in his career at LHF and SOGREAH.
Prof. Damien Violeau. EDF

Sorry to hear the news. He was one of the first IAHR members that I interacted with.
Prof. James Ball. University of Technology Sydney

I heard so much about Professor Jean Cunge from Forrest Holly who spent five years at SOGREAH, Grenoble with him.  In October 2013.  Professors Jean Cunge, Walter Graf, and I had participated in the Euroaquae program at the University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis.  At the end of the program, Director Philippe Gourbesville invited us to dinner and we all had a warm and friendly evening together.  That was the last time I saw Dr. Cunge.
The Muskingum-Cunge Method for channel routing is well known.  In 1980, J. Cunge, F.M. Holly, and A. Verwey published a book, Practical Aspects of Computational River Hydraulics, and it was a pioneering work at that time.
Professor Jean Cunge was a true scholar, a gentleman, and an outstanding hydraulic engineer of our time.  The hydraulic Engineering community will miss him for years to come.  My sympathy and prayers go to his family at this difficult hour.
With condolences,
Prof. Young C. Kim, Ph.D., Dist.D.CE, F.ASCE. Honorary Member of IAHR. Professor of Civil Engineering, Emeritus. California State University, Los Angeles

We are sorry to hear such sad news. In late 1990s  until 2012 prof. Jean Cunge was part of Hydroinformatics chair at IHE . He will be remembered by  his students and colleagues for his unsurpassed knowledge, energy, wit and sense of humour. Hydroinformatics Research group, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.
Prof. Ioana Popescu on behalf of the Hydroinformatics Research group at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education

I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Jean Cunge – a pioneer of computational hydraulics. He is a very warm and witty person, with a good sense of humor. Besides the Muskingum-Cunge and other flood routing models, I remember him as a distant mentor. As a VP he was quiet and effective in linking the Secretariat with the Fluid Mechanics Committee which I once chaired. I first met him in the 1983 IAHR Congress in Moscow, sitting next to him by chance in a jovial dinner banquet with Russian woman engineers inviting delegates to move on to the dance floor. When I gingerly asked this senior leader a technical question he said he would only answer on condition that I went out to dance on his behalf! And he offered good advice to me over the years. Such is the memorable IAHR family spirit. 
Prof. Joseph Hun-Wei Lee, Macau University of Science and Technology

I was saddened by hearing this news.  Jean and I spent many happy hours together consulting on engineering projects in various parts of the world.
Henry Thomas Falvey, Henry T. Falvey & Associates, Inc.

We are very sorry to hear this sad news. I had the honor to know Prof. Jean Cunge at the  Laboratoire d’Hydraulique de France in 1992 when I was doing a training stage in France. Jean was a great scientist, extraordinary engineer and exceptional person. Those of us who had the privilege of knowing him, could learn a lot from his knowledge, intelligence and way of solving problems. Jean Cunge, taught us much more than hydrodynamic modeling, Jean had always a generous and open mind, a great sense of humor and willingness to help.
My deepest condolence to his family and friends.
Dr Edison Heredia

In French: Obituaire de Jean Cunge (1934-2023), member honoraire de l’AIRH

C’est avec une grande tristesse que nous avons appris le décès de Jean Cunge, survenu le lundi 2 octobre 2023 dans sa quatre-vingt-neuvième année.

Jean Cunge a très largement contribué à l'essor de l'hydraulique numérique au niveau international et est l’un des principaux artisans de sa reconnaissance en tant que discipline : l'hydroinformatique. Soucieux de toujours communiquer, il fut un acteur clé des sociétés savantes, au niveau national (SHF – Société Hydrotechnique de France) et international (AIRH - Association Internationale de Recherches Hydrauliques).

Scientifique internationalement reconnu dans le domaine de l’hydraulique et professeur ayant enseigné dans les universités de Fort-Collins (Colorado, USA), de Grenoble INP et de Nice Sophia Antipolis en France, ainsi qu’à l'Institut UNESCO-IHE de Delft (Pays-Bas), Jean Cunge a passé l’essentiel de sa carrière d’ingénieur conseil à Sogreah et au Laboratoire d’Hydraulique de France, durant quatre décennies. Aux côtés d’Alexandre Preissmann, autre grand nom de l’hydraulique numérique, il a été à l’origine d’algorithmes de modélisation exceptionnellement innovants et efficaces, qui sont restés des références dans la profession pendant des décennies.

Les hydrauliciens reconnaîtront aussi en lui un algorithme de calcul de la propagation des ondes d’écoulement en canaux et rivières connu internationalement sous le nom de « méthode Muskingum-Cunge », ou encore, parmi ses nombreuses publications, l’ouvrage pionnier « Practical Aspects of Computational River Hydraulics », corédigé avec Forrest M. Holly, formé à l’ingénierie par Jean et ensuite devenu Président de l’AIRH, et Adri Verwey. Cet ouvrage fait encore référence dans l’enseignement de l’hydraulique numérique.

A l’affût de sauts technologiques, Jean Cunge a su, dans les années 1980-90, saisir tous les atouts du développement des technologies de l’information et de la communication pour, avec son équipe, les intégrer dans des outils plus globaux d’aide à la décision. Des applications prototypes ont été développées en Europe, en Chine et dans divers pays du monde. En complément de ses activités d’ingénieur, Jean Cunge a très largement contribué à promouvoir la formation dans le domaine de l’hydroinformatique avec le consortium européen EuroAquae dans le cadre d’Erasmus Mundus à partir de 2004. Pendant plus de 15 ans, des centaines d’étudiants internationaux ont eu la chance d’échanger avec lui sur des sujets scientifiques et techniques mais aussi sur leur avenir professionnel dans un environnement en constante évolution.

Sa vivacité d'esprit, sa capacité d’analyse hors pair et la pertinence de ses jugements, mais aussi son franc-parler et ses positions souvent à contrepied des grands courants d’idées, pour porter haut les couleurs de l’hydroinformatique et ses valeurs de loyauté, d’excellence et d’innovation, ont marqué tous ceux qu’il a croisés sur son chemin professionnel ou extra-professionnel. 

Ses proches collaborateurs témoignent enfin d’un homme d’une grande gentillesse et d’un grand dévouement, attaché à l’esprit d’équipe et pour autant attentif aux intérêts de chacun, chaleureux et bienveillant, doté d’un fort charisme.

Nous le remercions du fond du cœur pour ce qu’il nous a apporté. Toutes nos pensées vont à ses enfants et à sa famille.

Prof. Jean-Paul Chabard, Dr-Ing. Patrick Sauvaget et Prof. Philippe Gourversville