M. S. Dresselhaus

Biography

Abstract

Mildred Dresselhaus was Professor of Physics, Emerita, professor of Electrical Engineering, Emerita, and Institute Professor, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1960-present). Other institutional affiliations included the United States Department of Energy and Cornell University. Her research interests included high magnetic fields and condensed matter.

Important Dates

November 11, 1930Birth, New York (N.Y.).

1951Obtained BA, Hunter College, New York (N.Y.).

1953Obtained MA, Radcliffe College, Cambridge (Mass.).

1958Obtained PhD in Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago (Ill.).

1958 – 1960National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow, Cornell University.

1960 – presentResearcher, Lincoln Laboratories (1960-1967); Visiting Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1967-1968); Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (1968-1973); Director, Center for Materials Science and Engineering (1977-1983); Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of Electrical Engineering (1973-1985); Institute Professor (1985-present); Professor of Physics (1983-present); and Professor of Physics Emerita and Professor of Electrical Engineering Emerita, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge (Mass.).

1974 – 1976Member, Advisory Board, Materials Research Division, National Science Foundation.

1978 – 1984Chair, Steering Committee on Evaluation Panels, National Bureau of Standards.

1980 – 1984Member, Science Advisory Committee, Allied Chemical Corporation.

1984President, American Physical Society.

1984 – 1988Member, Governing Board, National Research Council.

1984 – 1990Member, Energy Research Advisory Board, United States Department of Energy.

1985Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1987 – 1990Chair, Engineering Section, National Research Council.

1990Awarded National Medal of Science.

1998President, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

2000 – 2001Director, Office of Science, United States Department of Energy.

2003 – 2008Chair, Governing Board, American Institute of Physics.

2004Awarded Founders Medal, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

2008Awarded Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize, American Physical Society.

2010Awarded Enrico Fermi Award, United States Department of Energy.

February 20, 2017Death, Cambridge (Mass.).

Occupation

Applied physicist.

Places

Birth

New York (N.Y.)

Undergraduate Education

New York (N.Y.)

Graduate Education

Cambridge (Mass.)

Chicago (Ill.)

Employment

Cambridge (Mass.)

Death

Cambridge (Mass.)

Subjects

Carbon nanotubes.

Science and industry.

Solid state physics.

Superconductors.

Women in science.

Women physicists.

Relationships

People

Advisors & Collaborators

Fermi, Enrico, 1901-1954

PhD advisor at University of Chicago.

Yalow, Rosalyn S. (Rosalyn Sussman), 1921-2011

Advisor, Hunter College.

Colleagues

Al'tshuler, B. L.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Benedek, George Bernard, 1928-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bethe, Hans A. (Hans Albrecht), 1906-2005

Both employed at Cornell University.

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Coppi, B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Corson, Dale R.

Both employed at Cornell University.

Deutsch, Martin, 1917-2002

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Edgerton, Harold Eugene, 1903-1990

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Edwards, David F. (David Franklin)

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lincoln Laboratory.

Enge, Harald A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Feshbach, Herman

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Goldstone, Jeff Alan

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Goodenough, John B.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lincoln Laboratory.

Greisen, Kenneth

Both employed at Cornell University.

Guth, Alan H.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Haus, Hermann A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Jackiw, Roman W.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Javan, Ali, 1926-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Ketterle, Wolfgang

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Kinoshita, T. (Toichiro)

Both employed at Cornell University.

Kleppner, Daniel

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lax, Benjamin

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lee, David M.

Both employed at Cornell University.

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Lieb, Elliott H.

Both employed at Cornell University.

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).

McDaniel, Boyce D. (Boyce Dawkins), 1917-

Both employed at Cornell University.

Meservey, Robert, 1921-

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory.

Moniz, E.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Morrison, Philip

Both employed at Cornell University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Overhauser, Albert Warner, 1925-

Both employed at Cornell University.

Page, Lyman A.

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Pohl, Robert O.

Both employed at Cornell University.

Porkolab, Miklos

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Randall, Lisa

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Rossi, Bruno, 1905-1993

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Stratton, Julius Adams, 1901-1994

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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).

Wilson, Robert R., 1914-2000

Both employed at Cornell University.

Zacharias, Jerrold Reinach, 1905-1986

Both employed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Additional

Clark, B. C.

Institutions

Major Positions

Allied Chemical Corporation

Member, Science Advisory Committee.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

President.

Lincoln Laboratory

Researcher.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering

Visiting Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Director, Center for Materials Science and Engineering, Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of Electrical Engineering, Institute Professor, and Professor of Electrical Engineering Emerita.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics and Professor of Physics Emerita.

United States. Department of Energy. Office of Science

Director.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

American Institute of Physics

Chair, Governing Board.

American Physical Society

President and awarded 2008 Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize.

Cornell University. Department of Physics

National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow.

Hunter College

Obtained BA.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Awarded 2004 Founders Medal.

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

National Research Council (U.S.)

Member, Governing Board and Chair, Engineering Section.

National Science Foundation (U.S.). Division of Materials Research

Member.

Radcliffe College

Obtained MA.

United States. Department of Energy

Member, Energy Research Advisory Board and Received 2010 Enrico Fermi Award.

United States. National Bureau of Standards

Chair, Steering Committee on Evaluation Panels.

University of Chicago. Department of Physics

Obtained Ph.D. in 1958 in Physics.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Oral history interview with Mildred S. Dresselhaus, 1976 June 7, 15, August 11, 19, September 13, 20, 22, 24, 30, and October 15.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Physics colloquium: celebration in honor of the 100th birthday of Laszlo Tisza [videorecording], 2007 May 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Reflections on a career in science and technology [sound recording] / 1989 January 25.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Subject

Contributions of 20th century women to physics [online resource], 1900-1976.

University Research Library. Department of Special Collections

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 90024-1575, USA

Marie Curie - A 150th Birthday Celebration [sound recording], 2017 March 16.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Bunny Clark, 2004 June 7.

University Archives

Ohio State University

2700 Kenny Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

Women in science and engineering oral history collection, 1976-1977.

Institute Archives and Special Collections

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

M.I.T. Libraries, Rm. 14N-118, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Published Resources

Subject

Mildred Dresselhaus Physics Today obituary