Dr Emile Perreau-Saussine, Fellow and Lecturer at Fitzwilliam College, passed away on Monday. Dr Perreau-Saussine was 37.

Dr Perreau-Saussine was a member of the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS). He has been at the University of Cambridge since 2009. In addition to his duties at Fitzwilliam College, he was also a Newton Trust Lecturer and a College Lecturer at Pembroke College.

Dr Perreau-Saussine’s academic interests included intellectual history, philosophy, and religion. In addition to writing about some of the major figures of political thought and intellectual history, he also engaged extensively with contemporary politics in Europe and Asia. He was particularly interested in the interplay between religion and democracy in the modern age.

Dr Perreau-Saussine was a scholar of extraordinary acclaim. In 2006, he received the Phillipe Habert Prize for the best work by a young researcher in political science for his book on the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre. The award was presented to him by the wife of the French President Jacques Chirac.

The Cambridge community was shocked and saddened by Dr Perreau-Saussine’s sudden departure. Students left flowers outside his office and Pembroke and Fitzwilliam Colleges flew their flags at half-mast in his honour.

According to the obituary released by POLIS, Dr Perreau-Saussine’s “contribution to seminars, social events and everyday conversation always enriched and broadened the perspectives of those he spoke to. He will be very much missed.”