Steven Weinberg

Biography

Abstract

Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University (1957); professional career has included work at Columbia University, the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, and the University of Texas, Austin; a member of the National Academy of Science; research interests include elementary particles, field theory, and cosmology.

Important Dates

May 3, 1933Birth, New York (N.Y.).

1954Received B.A., Cornell University, Ithaca (N.Y.).

1957Received Ph.D. in Physics, Princeton University, Princeton (N.J.).

1957 – 1959Instructor in Physics, Columbia University.

1959 – 1960Research Associate, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

1960 – 1969Assistant Professor to Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley (Calif.).

1960 – 1973Consultant, Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA).

1969 – 1973Professor of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

1971 – 1973Consultant, U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.

1972Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1972 – 1975Council Member, American Physical Society (APS).

1973 – 1983Higgins Professor of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge (Mass.).

1977Awarded Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics, American Physical Society.

1979Awarded Nobel Prize in Physics with Sheldon Glashow and Abdus Salam "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current".

1982 – presentJack S. Josey Regental Professor of Science, University of Texas, Austin, Austin (Tex.).

1983 – 1986Member, Advisory Board, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara.

1987 – 1992Member, Site Evaluation Committee, National Academy of Sciences-National Academy of Engineering (1987-1992) and Member, Science Policy Committee (1989-1992), Superconducting Super Collider.

1991Awarded National Medal of Science.

1992President, Philosophical Society of Texas.

2004Awarded Benjamin Franklin Medal, American Philosophical Society.

July 23, 2021Death, Austin (Tex.).

Occupation

Particle physicist, cosmologist, and astrophysicist.

Places

Birth

New York (N.Y.)

Undergraduate Education

Ithaca (N.Y.)

Graduate Education

Princeton (N.J.)

Employment

Berkeley (Calif.)

Cambridge (Mass.)

Austin (Tex.)

Death

Austin (Tex.)

Subjects

Astrophysics.

Broken symmetry (Physics).

Cosmic background radiation.

Cosmology.

Expanding universe.

Inflationary universe.

Neutrinos.

Particles (Nuclear physics).

Steady state cosmology.

Relationships

People

Family

Weinberg, Elizabeth

Daughter.

Weinberg, Louise

Wife, married in 1954.

Advisors & Collaborators

Alvarez, Orlando, 1953-

Advised by Weinberg at Harvard University on quantum field theory.

Bernard, Claude W.

Advised by Weinberg at Harvard University on quantum field theory.

Burgess, C. P. (Cliff Peter), 1957-

Advised by Weinberg at University of Texas, Austin.

Chang, L. N. (Lay Nam)

Advised by Weinberg at University of California, Berkeley.

Glashow, Sheldon L.

Shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Abdus Salam "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current". Both employed at University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University.

Holdom, Robert

Advised by Weinberg at Harvard University on broken symmetries.

Kolck, Ubirajara van

Advised by Weinberg at University of Texas, Austin on quantum theory.

Lopez-Mobilia, Rafael

Advised by Weinberg at University of Texas, Austin on quantum theory.

LoSecco, John M.

Advised by Weinberg at Harvard University on weak interactions.

Preskill, John

Advised by Weinberg at Harvard University.

Quevedo, Fernando

Advised by Weinberg at University of Texas, Austin on quantum theory.

Salam, Abdus, 1926-1996

Shared the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics along with Sheldon Glashow "for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current".

Treiman, Sam B.

PhD advisor at Princeton University, "The role of strong interactions in decay processes."

Willenbrock, Scott S.

Advised by Weinberg at University of Texas, Austin.

Colleagues

Alvarez, Luis W., 1911-1988

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at Harvard University.

Benedek, George Bernard, 1928-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bersohn, Richard, 1925-2003

Both employed at Columbia University.

Bertsch, George F.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Bloembergen, N.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Booth, Eugene

Both employed at Columbia University.

Bradbury, Norris, 1909-1997

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Brillouin, Léon, 1889-1969

Both employed at Columbia University.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Chamberlain, O. (Owen)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Chew, Geoffrey F.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Cohen, Marvin L.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Coleman, Sidney, 1937-2007

Both employed at Harvard University.

Commins, Eugene D.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Coppi, B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Cummins, Herman Z., 1933-

Both employed at Columbia University.

Davidson, Ronald C.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Davis, Bergen, 1869-1958

Both employed at Columbia University.

Deutsch, Martin, 1917-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

DeWitt, Bryce S. (Bryce Seligman), 1923-2004

Both employed at University of Texas, Austin.

Diamond, R. M.

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Dunning, John R. (John Ray), 1907-1975

Both employed at Columbia University.

Emery, V. J. (Victor J.)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Enge, Harald A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Falicov, L. M. (Leopoldo Maximo), 1933-1995

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Feinberg, Gerald, 1933-

Both employed at Columbia University.

Feshbach, Herman

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Fetter, Alexander L., 1937-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Foley, Henry Michael, 1917-1982

Both employed at Columbia University.

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Freedman, Stuart J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Frosch, Robert A. (Robert Alan), 1928-

Both employed at Columbia University.

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

Both employed at Harvard University.

Furth, H. P.

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Gates, S. James

Both employed at Harvard University.

Georgi, Howard

Both employed at Harvard University.

Glaser, D. A.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glauber, Roy J., 1925-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Goldhaber, Gerson

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Grunder, Hermann

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Guth, Alan H.

Both employed at Columbia University.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Halperin, Bertrand I.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Haroche, S.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Heeger, Alan J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Helmholz, August Carl, 1915-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Hooft, G. 't

Both employed at Harvard University.

Hopfield, John J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Jackiw, Roman W.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jackson, John David, 1925-2016

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Jaffe, Arthur, 1937-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Javan, Ali, 1926-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jeffries, C. D., 1922-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kastner, Marc A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Harvard University.

Kendall, Henry W. (Henry Way), 1926-1999

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Keyes, Frederick G. (Frederick George), 1885-1976

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kimble, H. Jeff (Harry Jeffrey), 1949-

Both employed at University of Texas, Austin.

Kittel, Charles

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kleppner, Daniel

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kroll, Norman Myles, 1922-

Both employed at Columbia University.

Kusch, Polykarp, 1911-1993

Both employed at Columbia University.

Langenberg, D. N., 1932-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Lax, Benjamin

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lederman, Leon M.

Both employed at Columbia University.

Lee, T. D., 1926-

Both employed at Columbia University.

Livingston, M. Stanley (Milton Stanley)

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Loeb, Leonard B. (Leonard Benedict), 1891-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

MacDonald, A. H.

Both employed at University of Texas, Austin.

Mandelstam, Stanley

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University.

Martin, Paul Cecil, 1931-

Both employed at Harvard University.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Morrison, Philip

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Morse, Philip M. (Philip McCord), 1903-1985

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Moyer, Burton J., 1912-1973

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Nelson, David R., 1951-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Nierenberg, William Aaron, 1919-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Polchinski, Joseph Gerard

Both employed at University of Texas, Austin.

Politzer, H. David, 1949-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Pound, Robert V.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Price, Paul Buford

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Purcell, Edward M.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Quinn, Helen R.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Rabi, I. I. (Isidor Isaac), 1898-1988

Both employed at Columbia University.

Rainwater, L. James (Leo James), 1917-1986

Both employed at Columbia University.

Ramsey, Norman, 1915-2011

Both employed at Harvard University.

Reynolds, John Hamilton, 1923-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Richards, Paul L. (Paul Linford)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Rosenfeld, Arthur H., 1926-

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Rossi, Bruno, 1905-1993

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ruderman, Malvin A.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Sachs, Allan M. (Allan Maxwell), 1921-1989

Both employed at Columbia University.

Samios, Nicholas P.

Both employed at Columbia University.

Schwartz, Melvin, 1932-2006

Both employed at Columbia University.

Seaborg, Glenn T. (Glenn Theodore), 1912-1999

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Segrè, Emilio

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Serber, R. (Robert)

Both employed at Columbia University.

Shen, Y. R.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Shull, Clifford Glenwood

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Spencer, Thomas, 1946-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Stanley, H. Eugene (Harry Eugene), 1941-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Steinberger, J.

Both employed at Columbia University.

Steiner, Herbert M.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Steinhardt, Paul J.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Stephens, F. S. (Frank Samuel)

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Strauch, Karl, 1922-2000

Both employed at Harvard University.

Street, Jabez Curry, 1906-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Swinney, H. L., 1939-

Both employed at University of Texas, Austin.

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Thomas, Gareth, 1932-2014

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Thomas, Llewellyn Hilleth, 1903-1992

Both employed at Columbia University.

Thouless, D. J.

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

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 and Harvard University.

Townes, Charles H.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Trilling, George H.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at Harvard University.

Watson, Kenneth M.

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).

Wheeler, John Archibald, 1911-2008

Both employed at University of Texas, Austin.

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Wilson, Richard, 1926-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Wise, Mark B., 1953-

Both employed at Harvard University.

Witten, E.

Both employed at Harvard University.

Wu, C. S. (Chien-shiung), 1912-1997

Both employed at Columbia University.

Zacharias, Jerrold Reinach, 1905-1986

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Additional

Alpher, Ralph, 1921-2007

Dirac, P. A. M. (Paul Adrien Maurice), 1902-1984

Herman, Robert, 1914-

Linde, A. D.

Penzias, Arno A.

Pines, David, 1924-2018

Wolfenstein, L. (Lincoln)

Institutions

Major Positions

Columbia University. Department of Physics

Instructor in Physics.

Harvard University. Department of Physics

Higgins Professor of Physics.

Institute for Defense Analyses

Consultant.

Lawrence Radiation Laboratory

Research Associate (Berkeley campus).

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics.

United States. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

Consultant.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Assistant Professor and Professor of Physics.

University of Texas at Austin. Department of Astronomy

Jack S. Josey Regental Professor of Science.

University of Texas at Austin. Department of Physics

Jack S. Josey Regental Professor of Science.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Academy of Arts and Sciences

American Philosophical Society

Received 2004 Benjamin Franklin Medal.

American Physical Society

Council Member and received 1977 Dannie Heineman Prize for Mathematical Physics.

Cornell University. Department of Physics

Received B.A.

International Astronomical Union

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

Philosophical Society of Texas

President.

Princeton University. Department of Physics

Received Ph.D. in 1957.

Royal Society (Great Britain)

University of California, Santa Barbara. Institute for Theoretical Physics

Member, Advisory Board.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Elementary particles - weak interactions, 1959 March.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Joint ceremonial session of the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers [sound recording] / 1974 February 5.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Steven Weinberg, 1988 May 5 and 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Steven Weinberg, 1991 June 28.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

QFT and QCD: past, present, and future [videorecording], 2005 March 18 and 19.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Session on unified gauge theories and their implications [sound recording], 1977 February 8.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Towards the final laws of physics [videorecording] : Elementary particles and the laws of physics: the 1986 Dirac memorial lectures, 1986.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

What is light? [sound recording] / 1974 April 21.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

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

Joint ceremonial session of the American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers [sound recording], 1977 February 8.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Alan Guth, 1987 September 21 and 1988 March 21.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with David Pines, 1981 April 13 and 16.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Lincoln Wolfenstein, 1997 April 19.

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

Published Resources

Author

Cosmology / Steven Weinberg.

Dreams of a final theory / Steven Weinberg.

Elementary particles and the laws of physics : the 1986 Dirac memorial lectures / Richard P. Feynman and Steven Weinberg ; lecture notes compiled by Richard MacKenzie and Paul Doust.

Facing up : science and its cultural adversaries / Steven Weinberg.

Gravitation and cosmology: principles and applications of the general theory of relativity.

Lake views : this world and the universe / Steven Weinberg.

The constants of physics : proceedings of a Royal Society discussion meeting held on 25 and 26 May 1983 / organized by W.H. McCrea, M.J. Rees and S. Weinberg ; and edited by W.H. McCrea and M.J. Rees.

The discovery of subatomic particles / Steven Weinberg.

The first three minutes : a modern view of the origin of the universe / Steven Weinberg.

The quantum theory of fields / Steven Weinberg.