S. James Gates

Biography

Abstract

Sylvester James Gates is John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland (1984-present). Other institutional affiliations include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology. His research interests include supersymmetry and quantum field theory.

Important Dates

December 15, 1950Birth, Tampa (Fla.).

1973Obtained BSc, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1977Obtained PhD in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1977 – 1980Junior Fellow, Society of Fellows, Harvard University.

1980 – 1982Research Fellow, California Institute of Technology.

1982 – 1984Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics (1982-1984) and Director, Office of Minority Education (1983-1984), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

1984 – presentAssociate Professor of Physics (1984-1988); Professor of Physics (1988-1998); John S. Toll Professor of Physics (1998-present); and Director, Center for String and Particle Theory (2002-present), University of Maryland, College Park (Md.).

1988 – 1992Member, Advisory Committee for Physics, National Science Foundation.

1990 – 1993Technical Executive Officer, National Society of Black Physicists.

1990 – 1993Professor of Physics (1990-1992); Chair, Department of Physics (1991-1993); and Director, Center for the Study of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Atmospheres (1992-1993), Howard University.

1992 – 1993Consultant, Institute for Defense Analyses.

1993 – 1996Member, Committee on Minorities, American Physical Society.

1994 – 1996President, National Society of Black Physicists.

1994 – 1997Member, High Energy Physics Advisory Panel, United States Department of Energy.

1995Fellow, American Physical Society.

1997 – 2001Member, Executive Board (1997-2000); Member, Executive Committee (1998-2000); and Member, Committee on Minorities (1999-2001), American Physical Society.

2000 – 2003Member, Advisory Board, Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, National Science Foundation.

2000 – 2003Member, Advisory Board, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara.

2000 – 2005Member, National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics (2000-2005) and Member, National Task Force on Graduate Education in (2003-2005), American Association of Physics Teachers.

2002 – 2004Member, Committee on Opportunities in Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

2003Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

2003 – 2005Member, Task Force on Research Collaboration with Africa, American Physical Society.

2006 – presentMember, Director's Physics Advisory Committee, Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).

2007 – 2013Member, Board of Trustees, Society for Science and the Public.

2009 – 2013Member, Maryland State Board of Education.

2009 – presentMember, President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

2010 – 2014Member, Board of Directors, Fermi Research Alliance.

2011Awarded National Medal of Science.

2011Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

2013Member, National Academy of Sciences.

Occupation

Theoretical physicist.

Places

Birth

Tampa (Fla.)

Undergraduate Education

Cambridge (Mass.)

Graduate Education

Cambridge (Mass.)

Employment

College Park (Md.)

Subjects

African American physicists.

Field theory (Physics).

Quantum field theory.

Supersymmetry.

Theoretical physics.

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Young, James Edward, 1926-

PhD advisor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Symmetry Principles in Selected Problems of Field Theory."

Colleagues

Anderson, Carl D. (Carl David), 1905-1991

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bacher, Robert F. (Robert Fox), 1905-2004

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bainbridge, Kenneth T. (Kenneth Tompkins), 1904-1996

Both employed at Harvard University.

Barish, B. C. (Barry Clark), 1936-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bloembergen, N.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Boehm, Felix

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Christy, Robert F.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Coleman, Sidney, 1937-2007

Both employed at Harvard University.

Conant, James Bryant, 1893-1978

Both employed at Harvard University.

Drake, James (James F.)

Both employed at University of Maryland.

DuBridge, Lee A. (Lee Alvin), 1901-1994

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Feynman, Richard P. (Richard Phillips), 1918-1988

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Fisher, Michael E. (Michael Ellis)

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Fowler, William A.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Furry, W. H. (Wendell Hinkle), 1907-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Gell-Mann, Murray

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Georgi, Howard

Both employed at Harvard University.

Glashow, Sheldon L.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Glauber, Roy J., 1925-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Goldberger, Marvin L.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Griem, Hans R.

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Halperin, Bertrand I.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Howard, Louis N.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jain, Jainendra K.

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Kemble, Edwin C. (Edwin Crawford), 1889-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Koonin, Steven E.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Langenberg, D. N., 1932-

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Leighton, Robert B.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Lin, C. C. (Chia-Chʻiao), 1916-2013

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Low, Francis E. (Francis Eugene), 1921-2007

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mackey, George W. (George Whitelaw), 1916-2006

Both employed at Harvard University.

Martin, Paul Cecil, 1931-

Both employed at Harvard University.

McKeown, R. D.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Misner, Charles W.

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Nelson, David R., 1951-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Phillips, William D. (William Daniel), 1948-

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Politzer, H. David, 1949-

Both employed at Harvard University and California Institute of Technology.

Pound, Robert V.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Purcell, Edward M.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Quinn, Helen R.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Ramsey, Norman, 1915-2011

Both employed at Harvard University.

Roshko, A. (Anatol)

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Sagdeev, R. Z.

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Schwarz, John H.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Sciulli, Frank J.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Segal, Irving Ezra

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Steinhardt, Paul J.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Stratton, Julius Adams, 1901-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Strauch, Karl, 1922-2000

Both employed at Harvard University.

Street, Jabez Curry, 1906-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Thorne, Kip S.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Tinkham, Michael

Both employed at Harvard University.

Van Vleck, J. H. (John Hasbrouck), 1899-1980

Both employed at Harvard University.

Webb, R. A. (Richard Alan)

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Weeks, John David

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Williams, Ellen D.

Both employed at University of Maryland.

Witten, E.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Zweig, George

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Additional

Mickens, Ronald E., 1943-

Institutions

Major Positions

Howard University. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics; Chair, Department of Physics; and Director, Center for the Study of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Atmospheres.

Institute for Defense Analyses

Consultant.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics

Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Obtained BSc (1973) and PhD in Physics (1977). Director, Office of Minority Education.

University of Maryland at College Park. Department of Physics and Astronomy

Associate Professor of Physics; Professor of Physics; John S. Toll Professor of Physics; and Director, Center for String and Particle Theory.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Fellow.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Member, Committee on Opportunities in Science and Fellow.

American Association of Physics Teachers

Member, National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics and Member, National Task Force on Graduate Education in Physics.

American Physical Society

Member, Committee on Minorities; Member, Executive Board; Member, Executive Committee; Member, Task Force on Research Collaboration with Africa; and Fellow.

California Institute of Technology. Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy

Research Fellow.

Fermi Research Alliance, LLC

Member, Board of Directors.

Harvard University. Department of Physics

Junior Fellow, Society of Fellows.

Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory

Member, Director's Physics Advisory Committee.

Maryland. State Board of Education

Member.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Member, Advisory Committee for Physics and Member, Advisory Board, Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

National Society of Black Physicists

Technical Executive Officer and President.

President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (U.S.)

Member.

Society for Science & the Public

Member, Board of Trustees.

United States. High Energy Physics Advisory Panel.

Member.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Institute for Theoretical Physics

Member, Advisory Board.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

American Institute of Physics 75th anniversary symposium and convocation [webcasts], 2006.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

Ronald E. Mickens collection on African-American physicists, circa 1950-2008.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Published Resources

Author

2011 National Medal of Science YouTube Video

Supersymmetry, Jim Gates Lecture 1 of 3