Susan Nan Coppersmith

Biography

Abstract

Susan Coppersmith is a theoretical condensed matter physicist. She has made contributions to the understanding of subjects such as glasses, granular materials, the nonlinear dynamics of magnetic flux lattices in type-II superconductors, and quantum computing. Her institutional affiliations include Bell Laboratories, University of Chicago, and University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Important Dates

March 18, 1957Birth, Johnstown (Schuylkill County, Pa.).

1978Obtained BS in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1978 – 1979Obtained MASt (Applied Mathematics Tripos, Part III), Cambridge University, Cambridge (England).

1981Obtained MS in Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca (N.Y.).

1983Obtained PhD in Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca (N.Y.).

1983 – 1985Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory.

1985 – 1986Postdoctoral Member, Technical Staff, AT & T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill (N.J.).

1986 – 1987Visiting Lecturer, Princeton University.

1987 – 1995Member, Technical Staff (1987-1990) and Distinguished Member, Technical Staff (1990-1995), AT & T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill (N.J.).

1991 – 2006General Member (1991-2006) and Member, Board of Trustees (1993-1996 and 2000-2006), Aspen Center for Physics.

1992Fellow, American Physical Society.

1995 – 2001Professor of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).

1997 – 2001Member (1997-2001) and Chair (1999-2000), Advisory Board, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara.

1998Physics Survey Overview Panel, National Research Council.

1999Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

1999 – 2005Member (1999-2005) and Chair (2004), Board of Trustees, Gordon Research Conferences.

2001 – presentProfessor of Physics (2001-present), and Chair, Department of Physics (2005-2008), University of Wisconsin, Madison, Madison (Wis.).

2004 – 2006Member, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee, National Science Foundation.

2005Chair, Division of Condensed Matter Physics, American Physical Society.

2006Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

2009Member, National Academy of Sciences.

Occupation

Theoretical condensed matter physicist.

Places

Birth

Johnstown (Schuylkill County, Pa.)

Undergraduate Education

Cambridge (Mass.)

Graduate Education

Cambridge (England)

Ithaca (N.Y.)

Employment

Murray Hill (N.J.)

Chicago (Ill.)

Madison (Wis.)

Subjects

Biomineralization.

Condensed matter.

Quantum computers.

Superconductors.

Theoretical physics.

Thermodynamic equilibrium.

Relationships

People

Colleagues

Aeppli, Gabriel

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Alivisatos, P.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

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

Both employed at Princeton University.

Appelbaum, J. A. (Joel A.)

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Aronson, Samuel, 1942-

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Ashkin, Arthur, 1922-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Austin, Robert H.

Both employed at Princeton University.

Bishop, David John, 1951-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Blume, Martin, 1932-

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

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

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Buchsbaum, Solomon J.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Bucksbaum, Philip H.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Casten, R.

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Cava, Robert J.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Chabal, Yves Jean, 1952-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Chemla, D. S.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Chu, Steven

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

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

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Crewe, Albert V.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Cronin, James W., 1931-2016

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Davis, Raymond, 1914-2006

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Dicke, Robert H. (Robert Henry)

Both employed at Princeton University.

DiSalvo, Francis

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Dolan, Gerald

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Dynes, Robert C.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Eigler, Donald

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Eisenstein, James P. (James Philip)

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Emery, V. J. (Victor J.)

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Fano, Ugo

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fitch, Val L., 1923-2015

Both employed at Princeton University.

Fleury, Paul A.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Frazer, Benjamin Chalmers

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Fritzsche, Hellmut

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Fulton, Theodore Alan

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Goldhaber, Maurice, 1911-2011

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Gossard, A. C.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Gross, David J. (David Jonathan)

Both employed at Princeton University.

Haeberli, W. (Willy)

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Haldane, F. Duncan M.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Hamann, Donald, 1939-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Happer, William, 1939-

Both employed at Princeton University.

Hellman, Frances

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Hershkowitz, N. (Noah), 1941-

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Himpsel, F. J.

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Hohenberg, Pierre C.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Hopfield, John J.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Isaacs, Eric D.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Jackson, Shirley Ann, 1946-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Johnson, Peter D., 1952-

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Kadanoff, Leo P.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Kraushaar, William L.

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Lagally, Max G.

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Lieb, Elliott H.

Both employed at Princeton University.

Millis, Andrew J.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Murray, Cherry Ann

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Nagel, Sidney R.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Narath, Albert, 1933-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Osheroff, Douglas D.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Palmer, Robert B., 1934-

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Parker, E. N. (Eugene Newman), 1927-

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Patel, C. Kumar N.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Penzias, Arno A.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Phillips, J. C.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Phillips, Julia M.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Pinczuk, Aron

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Raghavachari, Krishnan

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Samios, Nicholas P.

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Shank, C. V. (Charles V.)

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Shirane, G.

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Shochet, Melvyn J.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Smith, George E., 1930-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Smith, Neville, 1942-2006

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Stillinger, F. H.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Störmer, Horst

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Tank, David William, 1953-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Taylor, Joseph H. (Joseph Hooton)

Both employed at Princeton University.

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

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Treiman, Sam B.

Both employed at Princeton University.

Vineyard, G. H.

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Wald, Robert M.

Both employed at University of Chicago.

Warburton, Ernest Keeling

Both employed at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Webb, M. B. (Maurice Barnett), 1926-

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Weeks, John David

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Wilkinson, David T.

Both employed at Princeton University.

Willett, Robert L.

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Wilson, Robert Woodrow, 1936-

Both employed at AT & T Bell Laboratories.

Institutions

Major Positions

AT & T Bell Laboratories

Postdoctoral Member, Member, and Distinguished Member, Technical staff.

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Research Associate.

Princeton University. Department of Physics

Visiting Lecturer.

University of Chicago. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics.

University of Wisconsin--Madison. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics and Chair, Department of Physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Physical Society

Chair, Division of Condensed Matter Physics.

Aspen Center for Physics

General Member and Member, Board of Trustees.

Cornell University. Department of Physics

Obtained MS (1981) and PhD (1983).

Gordon Research Conferences

Member, Board of Trustees and Chair, Board of Trustees.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Obtained BS (1978).

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

National Research Council (U.S.)

Physics Survey Overview Panel.

National Science Foundation (U.S.)

Member, Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee.

University of California, Santa Barbara. Institute for Theoretical Physics

Member, Advisory Board and Chair, Advisory Board.

University of Cambridge. Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics

Obtained MASt (Applied Mathematics Tripos, Part III) in 1979.

Resources

Archival Resources

Subject

University of Wisconsin--Madison Archives. Oral History Project: Selected Interviews with Physics and Astronomy Staff and Students.

Madison University Archives

University of Wisconsin -- Madison

Steenbock Library, Madison, WI 53706, USA