Menu ☰

Back to Top

Physics History Network

Over 1000 biographies of physicists and histories of institutions with information pertaining to their lives, careers, and research.

Tip: Search within this page by using Ctrl + F or ⌘ + F


Search Our Catalogs

Archives Books

Collections

Emilio Segré Visual Archives Digital Collections Oral Histories Archival Finding Aids Physics History Network Member Society Portals Ethical Cataloging Statement

Preservation and Support

Donating Materials Suggest a Book Purchase Saving Archival Collections Grants to Archives Documentation Projects History Newsletters

Center for History of Physics

Scholarship & Outreach

Main Navigation

HomeAboutTopic GuidesFeedback

Table of Contents

Biography

AbstractImportant DatesOccupationPlacesSubjects

Relationships

PeopleInstitutions

Resources

Archival as Author

Daniel Z. Freedman

Photo

Dates

May 3, 1939 – present

Authorized Form of Name

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Additional Forms of Names

Freedman, D. Z.

Biography

Abstract

Daniel Z. Freedman is Professor of Applied Mathematics (1980-present) and Professor of Physics (2001-present) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Other institutional affiliations include the California Institute of Technology and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His research interests include string theory and quantum field theory.

Important Dates

May 3, 1939Birth, Hartford (Conn.).

1960Obtained BA, Wesleyan University, Middletown (Conn.).

1962Obtained MS, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison (Wis.).

1964Obtained PhD in Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison (Wis.).

1964 – 1966National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow, Imperial College London.

1965 – 1966Research Fellow (1965-1966) and Instructor (1965-1966), University of California, Berkeley.

1967 – 1968Member, Institute for Advanced Study.

1968 – 1980Assistant to Associate Professor (1968-1974) and Professor (1974-1980), C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook (N.Y.).

1970 – 1971Visiting Scientist, Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

1977 – 1978Visiting Associate, Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology.

1980 – presentProfessor of Applied Mathematics (1980-present) and Professor of Physics (2001-present), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

2006Awarded Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, American Physical Society.

Occupation

Theoretical physicist.

Places

Birth

Hartford (Conn.)

Undergraduate Education

Middletown (Conn.)

Graduate Education

Madison (Wis.)

Employment

Stony Brook (N.Y.)

Cambridge (Mass.)

Subjects

Quantum field theory.

Quantum gravity.

String theory.

Supersymmetry.

Theoretical physics.

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Ferrara, S.

Collaborated on the consistent theory of supergravity.

Sawyer, Raymond Burkert

PhD advisor at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Van Nieuwenhuizen, Peter

Collaborated on the consistent theory of supergravity and both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Colleagues

Adler, Stephen L.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Alvarez, Luis W., 1911-1988

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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.

Bardeen, James Maxwell, 1939-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Bardeen, William A.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook and the Institute for Advanced Study.

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

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Benedek, George Bernard, 1928-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Birge, Raymond T. (Raymond Thayer), 1887-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Blume, Martin, 1932-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Boehm, Felix

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Bradbury, Norris, 1909-1997

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Brode, Robert B. (Robert Bigham), 1900-1986

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Brown, G. E. (Gerald Edward), 1926-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Chamberlain, O. (Owen)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Chew, Geoffrey F.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Christy, Robert F.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Cohen, Marvin L.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Commins, Eugene D.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Coppi, B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Institute for Advanced Study.

Courant, Ernest D. (Ernest David), 1920-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Davidson, Ronald C.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Deutsch, Martin, 1917-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Dolan, Gerald

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Dresselhaus, M. S.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Dyson, Freeman J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Enge, Harald A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Feibelman, Peter J.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Fetter, Alexander L., 1937-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Fowler, William A.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Friedman, Jerome I. (Jerome Isaac), 1930-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Gates, S. James

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Gell-Mann, Murray

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Glaser, D. A.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glashow, Sheldon L.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Goldberger, Marvin L.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Goldhaber, Gerson

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Goldstone, Jeffrey

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Guth, Alan H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Hahn, E. L. (Erwin Louis), 1921-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Helmholz, August Carl, 1915-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Howard, Louis N.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jackiw, Roman W.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jaffe, Arthur, 1937-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Javan, Ali, 1926-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jeffries, C. D., 1922-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Joannopoulos, J. D. (John D.), 1947-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kaspi, Victoria Michelle, 1967-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kastner, Marc A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ketterle, Wolfgang

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kittel, Charles

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kleppner, Daniel

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Koonin, Steven E.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Lax, Benjamin

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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).

Livingston, M. Stanley (Milton Stanley)

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mandelstam, Stanley

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Marburger, John H., III (John Harmen), 1941-2011

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

McCoy, Barry M.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

McMillan, Edwin M. (Edwin Mattison), 1907-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Morrison, Philip

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Morse, Marston, 1892-1977

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Moyer, Burton J., 1912-1973

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Nierenberg, William Aaron, 1919-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Oppenheimer, J. Robert, 1904-1967

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Politzer, H. David, 1949-

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Porkolab, Miklos

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Randall, Lisa

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Reynolds, John Hamilton, 1923-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Richards, Paul L. (Paul Linford)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Rosenbluth, M. N.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

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).

Segrè, Emilio

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Shank, C. V. (Charles V.)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Shen, Y. R.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Shull, Clifford Glenwood

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Sprouse, Gene D.

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Steiner, Herbert M.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Stratton, Julius Adams, 1901-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Thomas, Gareth, 1932-2014

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Thorne, Kip S.

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Ting, S. C. C. (Samuel Chao-chung), 1936-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Tinkham, Michael

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Tollestrup, Alvin

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Trilling, George H.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Watson, Kenneth M.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Weiss, Rainer

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Weisskopf, Victor Frederick, 1908-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Wiesner, Jerome B. (Jerome Bert), 1915-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Wilczek, Frank

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Yang, Chen Ning, 1922-

Both employed at State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Zweig, George

Both employed at California Institute of Technology.

Institutions

Major Positions

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

Visiting Associate, Department of Physics.

Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.)

Member.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mathematics

Professor of Applied Mathematics.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Visiting Scientist and Professor of Physics.

State University of New York at Stony Brook. Department of Physics

Assistant to Associate Professor and Professor, C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Research Fellow and Instructor.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Physical Society

Received 2006 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics.

Imperial College, London. Department of Physics

National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow.

University of Wisconsin--Madison. Department of Physics

Obtained MS and PhD in Physics (1964).

Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.). Department of Physics

Obtained BA.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Oral history interview with Sergio Ferrara, Dan Freedman, and Peter van Nieuwenhuizen, 1991 March 25.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA