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Institutional History
AbstractDepartment chairsImportant DatesPlacesSubjectsCitationsRelationships
PeopleInstitutionsResources
Archival as AuthorArchival as SubjectUniversity of California, Santa Barbara. Department of Physics
Dates
1944 – present
Authorized Form of Name
University of California, Santa Barbara. Department of Physics
Additional Forms of Names
University of California, Santa Barbara. Dept. of Physics
University of California, Santa Barbara. Physics Department
Institutional History
Abstract
Since its creation in 1944, the University of California, Santa Barbara's Physics Department has grown quickly. Though it is a relatively small department, in 2010 it was ranked among the top five graduate programs in the nation. The department's faculty has hosted multiple Nobel Prize winners, over 15 memberships of the National Academies and other award winners. The Physics Department is located in Broida Hall, named for distinguished early department member Herbert P. Broida. Faculty conduct and supervise research in astrophysics, cosmology, biophysics, condensed matter physics, gravitation, and particle physics.
Department chairs
2000-05, S. James Allen.
2005-08, Mark Srednicki.
2010-13, Omer Blaes.
2014-present, Philip Pincus.
Important Dates
1944Physics Department was established, Santa Barbara (Calif.).
1963 – 1978Herbert Broida was on faculty and as one of the early faculty members helped grow the department.
1966 – presentJames Hartle has been on faculty.
1968 – presentStanton Peale has been on faculty.
1969 – presentDouglas Scalapino has been on faculty.
1979Institute for Theoretical Physics was founded and became a source of strength for the department.
1979 – 1980Gary Horowitz was on faculty.
1979 – presentWalter Kohn has been on faculty.
1979 – presentGuenter Ahlers has been on faculty.
1980 – 1990Frank Wilczek was on faculty.
1980 – 1997J. Robert Schrieffer was on faculty.
1981 – 1989Steven Kivelson was on faculty.
1981 – 1999Michael Witherell was on faculty.
1982 – presentJames Langer has been on faculty.
1982 – presentAlan Heeger has been on faculty.
1983 – presentGary Horowitz has been on faculty.
1986 – 1997Andrew Strominger was on faculty.
1991 – 1994Christopher Stubbs was on faculty.
1991 – presentDavid Awschalom has been on faculty.
1992 – presentJoseph Polchinski has been on faculty.
2002 – presentDavid Gross has been on faculty.
Places
Headquarters
Subjects
Physics -- Study and teaching.
Citations
Historical information from University of California, Santa Barbara's Department of Physics website.
Relationships
People
Employees & Officers
Professor of Physics.
Allen, S. James
Department chair.
Professor of Physics.
Blaes, Omer, 1961-
Department chair.
Broida, Herbert P.
Held various positions and as an early faculty member was instrumental in the growth of the department.
Gross, David J. (David Jonathan)
Frederick W. Gluck Chair Professor, Theoretical Physics.
Assistant Professor to Associate Professor of Physics and Professor of Physics.
Professor of Physics.
Postdoctoral Fellow; Assistant Professor of Physics; Associate Professor of Physics; and Professor of Physics.
Professor of Physics and Professor of Physics Emeritus and Research Professor.
Professor of Physics and Professor Emeritus of Physics.
MacDonald, Gordon J. (Gordon James), 1929-2002
Professor of Physics.
Instructor in Theoretical Physics.
Assistant Professor to Professor; Professor Emeritus and Research Professor.
Pincus, P. A.
Department chair.
Professor of Physics.
Visiting Professor of Physics.
Visiting Professor; Professor of Physics; and Research Professor of Physics.
Schrieffer, J. R. (John Robert), 1931-
Professor and Chancellor Professor.
Srednicki, Mark Allen
Department chair.
Professor of Physics.
Assistant to Associate Professor of Physics.
Professor of Physics and Chancellor Robert Huttenback Professor of Physics.
Assistant Professor; Associate Professor; Professor of Physics; and University of California Presidential Chair.
PhD Students
Received BA and PhD (Physics) in 1976.
Associates & Members
Hansma, Paul K., 1946-
Fellow.
Tilton, George R.
Institutions
Institutional Hierarchy
University of California, Santa Barbara
Collaborators
Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
The Institute for Theoretical Physics was renamed in 2002 when it joined the Kavli Institutes, but remains close partners with the department as all permanent members of the institute are also faculty of the physics department.
University of California, Santa Barbara. Institute for Theoretical Physics
Founded in 1979 separate from the physics department, the institute became a source of strength for the physics department.
Associates
American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics
Department of physics participated in AIP's study of multi-institutional collaborations.
Resources
Archival Resources
Author
Reminiscences of Los Alamos [sound recording] : a lecture series at the University of California, Santa Barbara, 1975.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Reminiscences of wartime Los Alamos [sound recording], 1975.
Library. Dept. of Special Collections
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
The effectiveness of scientific advice to government [sound recording] : a lecture series at the University of California, Santa Barbara, 1976.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
University of California, Santa Barbara Department of Physics records, circa 1954-1990.
Library. Dept. of Special Collections
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Subject
George R. Tilton response to History of Geophysics Survey, 1999.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Michael Witherell papers, 1999-2005.
Milton G. White History of Accelerators Room (WH-3SE) and Archives (WH-16NE)
Fermilab
PO Box 500, Batavia, IL 90510, USA
Oral history interview with Alan J. Heeger, 2006 March 13 and 16.
The Beckman Center for History of Chemistry
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2702, USA
Oral history interview with Paul K. Hansma, 2006 May 2 and August 7.
The Beckman Center for History of Chemistry
Chemical Heritage Foundation
315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2702, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Oral history interviews. High-Energy Physics. Probes: CESR-CLEO: The CLEO Experiment at CESR, 1991.
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA
Niels Bohr Library & Archives
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA