Arno A. Penzias

Biography

Abstract

Arno Penzias is a Nobel laureate and a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates (1997-present). His other institutional affiliations include Columbia University and Bell Laboratories. His research interests include cosmic microwave background radiation and The Big Bang theory.

Important Dates

April 26, 1933Birth, Munich (Germany).

1954Obtained BS, City College of New York, New York (N.Y.).

1958Obtained MA, Columbia University, New York (N.Y.).

1961 – 1984Member, Technical Staff (1961-1972); Head, Radio Physics Research Department (1972-1976); Director, Radio Physics Research, Radio Research Laboratory (1976-1979); Director, Radio Research Laboratory (1976-1979); Executive Director, Communications Sciences Research Division (1979-1981); and Vice President, Research (1981-1984), Bell Telephone Laboratories, Murray Hill (N.J.).

1962Obtained PhD in Physics, Columbia University, New York (N.Y.).

1967 – 1985Lecturer in Astrophysical Science (1967-1972) and Visiting Professor of Astrophysical Science (1972-1985), Princeton University.

1968 – 1980Research Associate, Harvard College Observatory, Harvard University.

1974 – 1984Adjunct Professor of Earth Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook.

1975Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1975 – presentMember (1975-present) and Vice Chair (1976-present), Committee of Concerned Scientists.

1977 – 1979Member, Board of Trustees, Trenton State College.

1978Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics with Robert Woodrow Wilson "for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation".

1978 – 1979Member, Astronomy Advisory Panel, National Science Foundation.

1978 – 1985Member, Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie).

1983 – 1986Member, Board of Overseers, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania.

1984 – 1996Vice President, Research (1984-1995) and Vice President and Chief Scientist (1995-1996), AT & T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill (N.J.).

1990Awarded George E. Pake Prize, American Physical Society.

1996 – 1998Vice President and Chief Scientist, Lucent Technologies.

1997 – presentVenture Partner, New Enterprise Associates, Timonium (Md.).

Occupation

Radio astronomer.

Places

Birth

Munich (Germany)

Undergraduate Education

New York (N.Y.)

Graduate Education

New York (N.Y.)

Employment

Murray Hill (N.J.)

Timonium (Md.)

Subjects

Big bang theory.

Computers and civilization.

Cosmic background radiation.

Cosmology.

Deuterium.

Radio astronomy.

Research, Industrial.

Science and industry.

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Townes, Charles H.

Ph.D. advisor at Columbia University.

Wilson, Robert Woodrow, 1936-

Shared the 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics "for their discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation" and both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Colleagues

Aeppli, Gabriel

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Ahlers, G. (Günter)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Alivisatos, P.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Anderson, P. W. (Philip W.), 1923-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Appelbaum, J. A. (Joel A.)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Ashkin, Arthur, 1922-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Aspnes, D. E.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Birgeneau, Robert J. (Robert Joseph), 1942-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Bishop, David John, 1951-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Bode, Hendrik W. (Hendrik Wade), 1905-1982

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Boyle, Willard S., 1924-2011

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Brattain, Walter H. (Walter Houser), 1902-1987

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Brinkman, William F. (William Frank), 1938-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Buchsbaum, Solomon J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Bucksbaum, Philip H.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Cava, Robert J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chabal, Yves Jean, 1952-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chemla, D. S.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chu, Ching-wu, 1941-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chu, Steven

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Chynoweth, A. G.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Clogston, Albert McCavour

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Coppersmith, Susan Nan

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Cutler, Cassius Chapin

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Darlington, Sidney, 1906-1997

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

David, Edward E.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

DiSalvo, Francis

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Dolan, Gerald

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Dynes, Robert C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Eigler, Donald

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Eisenstein, James P. (James Philip)

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Fisk, James B. (James Brown), 1910-1981

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Fleury, Paul A.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Fulton, Theodore Alan

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Galt, John Kirtland, 1920-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Geballe, Theodore H.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Gossard, A. C.

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Greene, Laura H.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hagstrum, Homer D.

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Haldane, F. Duncan M.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Halperin, Bertrand I.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hamann, Donald, 1939-

Both employed at Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies.

Hellman, Frances

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Herring, William Conyers, 1914-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hohenberg, Pierre C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Hopfield, John J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Isaacs, Eric D.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Jackson, Shirley Ann, 1946-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Javan, Ali, 1926-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Johnson, Peter D., 1952-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Kompfner, Rudolf, 1909-1977

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Lander, James J., 1914-1996

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Laughlin, Robert B.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Lax, Melvin J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Lee, P. A. (Patrick A.), 1946-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Libchaber, Albert J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Matthias, Bernd T., 1918-1980

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

McMillan, William L.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Millis, Andrew J.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Murray, Cherry Ann

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Narath, Albert, 1933-

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Osheroff, Douglas D.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Patel, C. Kumar N.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Pfann, William G.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Phillips, J. C.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Phillips, Julia M.

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Pinczuk, Aron

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Raghavachari, Krishnan

Both employed at Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies.

Rice, Thomas Maurice, 1939-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Rowell, John Martin, 1935-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Sarachik, Myriam P.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Schawlow, Arthur L., 1921-1999

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Shank, C. V. (Charles V.)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Smith, George E., 1930-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Smith, Neville, 1942-2006

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Stillinger, F. H.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Störmer, Horst

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Tank, David William, 1953-

Both employed at Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies.

Tauc, J. (Jan)

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Tersoff, J.

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Thomas, D. G. (David Gilbert), 1928-

Both employed at Bell Laboratories.

Tsui, D. C. (Daniel Chee), 1939-

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Weeks, John David

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Willett, Robert L.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies.

Yariv, Amnon

Both employed at Bell Telephone Laboratories.

Additional

Alpher, Ralph, 1921-2007

Dicke, Robert H. (Robert Henry)

Ferris, Timothy

Gamow, George, 1904-1968

Giordmaine, Joseph Anthony

Kapitsa, P. L. (Petr Leonidovich), 1894-1984

Awarded 1978 Nobel Prize in Physics for a separate project.

Morrison, Philip

Spitzer, Lyman, 1914-1997

Sullivan, Woodruff Turner

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Wilkinson, David T.

Institutions

Major Positions

AT & T Bell Laboratories

Vice President, Research and Vice President and Chief Scientist.

Bell Labs Innovations

Vice President and Chief Scientist.

Bell Telephone Laboratories

Member, Technical Staff; Head, Radio Physics Research Department; Director, Radio Physics Research, Radio Research Laboratory; Director, Radio Research Laboratory; Executive Director, Communications Sciences Research Division; and Vice President, Research.

Harvard College Observatory

Research Associate.

New Enterprise Associates

Venture Partner.

Princeton University. Department of Physics

Lecturer in Astrophysical Science and Visiting Professor of Astrophysical Science.

State University of New York at Stony Brook. Department of Earth and Space Sciences

Adjunct Professor of Earth Science.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

Received 1990 George E. Pake.

College of the City of New York (1926-1961). City College. Physics Department

Obtained B.S. in 1954.

Columbia University. Department of Physics

Obtained M.A. in 1958 and Ph.D. in 1962.

Committee of Concerned Scientists

Member and Vice Chair.

Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie

Member.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Member, Astronomy Advisory Panel.

Trenton State College

Member, Board of Trustees.

University of Pennsylvania. School of Engineering and Applied Science

Member, Board of Overseers.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Arno A. Penzias papers, 1931-2006 (bulk 1963-1998).

Manuscript Division

Library of Congress

James Madison Memorial Building, First Street and Independence Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20540, USA

Oral history interview with Arno A. Penzias, 2006 January 19, March 21 and 22.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Arno Penzias, 1980.

IEEE Global History Center

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

3 Park Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY, 10016-5997 USA

Subject

Oral history interview with David Todd Wilkinson, 1984 September 27.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Joseph Giordmaine, 2007 October 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Ralph Alpher and second session is joint interview with Robert Herman, 1983 August 11 and 12.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with William F. Brinkman, 2006 March 7 and April 26.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Timothy Ferris interviews conducted for book, THE RED LIMIT, 1974-1976.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Woodruff T. Sullivan papers, 1946-2009.

Archives.

National Radio Astronomy Observatory

520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA

Published Resources

Author

Digital harmony : business, technology, & life after paperwork / Arno Penzias.

Ideas and information : managing in a high-tech world / Arno Penzias.

Nobel Prize Autobiography.