Kenneth M. Watson

Biography

Abstract

Kenneth Watson is Professor Emeritus of Physical Oceanography at University of California, San Diego (1991-present). Other institutional affiliations include University of California, Berkeley, Indiana University and University of Wisconsin, Madison. His research interests include internal wave turbulence, quantum mechanics, and collision theory.

Important Dates

September 7, 1921Birth, Des Moines (Iowa).

1943Obtained BS in Electrical Engineering, Iowa State College, Ames (Iowa).

1943 – 1946Researcher, Naval Research Laboratory, United States Navy.

1948Obtained PhD in Physics, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Iowa).

1948 – 1949Atonic Energy Commission (AEC) Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study.

1949 – 1951Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Fellow, Radiation Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley (Calif.).

1951 – 1954Assistant Professor of Physics, Indiana University.

1954 – 1957Associate Professor of Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

1957 – 1981Staff Member, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

1957 – 1981Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley (Calif.).

1974Member, National Academy of Sciences.

1981 – 1991Director, Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.).

1981 – presentProfessor of Physical Oceanography (1981-1991) and Professor Emeritus of Physical Oceanography (1991-present), University of California, San Diego, San Diego (Calif.).

August 18, 2023Death.

Occupation

Physical oceanographer.

Places

Birth

Des Moines (Iowa)

Undergraduate Education

Ames (Iowa)

Graduate Education

Iowa City (Iowa)

Employment

Berkeley (Calif.)

San Diego (Calif.)

La Jolla (San Diego, Calif.)

Death

San Diego (Calif.)

Subjects

Collisions (Nuclear physics).

Fluid mechanics.

Gravity waves.

Mesons.

Nuclear physics.

Oceanography.

Plasma physics.

Quantum electrodynamics.

Scattering (Physics).

Statistical mechanics.

Relationships

People

Family

Miller, Elaine Carol

Married in 1946.

Advisors & Collaborators

Goldberger, Marvin L.

Co-wrote "Collision Theory."

Jauch, Josef M. (Josef Maria), 1914-1974

PhD Advisor at University of Iowa, "The polarizability of the meson-charge cloud of a neutron in an external electrostatic field".

Ma, Shanggeng, 1940-1983

Advised by Watson at University of California, Berkeley, "Correlation of photons from a thermal source".

Colleagues

Alvarez, Luis W., 1911-1988

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Appelbaum, J. A. (Joel A.)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Bardeen, James Maxwell, 1939-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Barschall, H. H. (Henry Herman), 1915-1997

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Baym, Gordon

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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, Harold, 1927-2019

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Brueckner, Keith A.

Both employed at Indiana University.

Case, Kenneth M.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study and University of California, Berkeley.

Chamberlain, O. (Owen)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Charney, Jule G.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Chew, Geoffrey F.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Chu, Steven

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Clarke, John, 1942-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Clauser, John F. (John Francis), 1942-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Cohen, Marvin L.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Commins, Eugene D.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Davidson, Ronald C.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Dynes, Robert C.

Both employed at University of California, San Diego.

Dyson, Freeman J.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Emery, V. J. (Victor J.)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Fetter, Alexander L., 1937-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Freedman, Daniel Z.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Gaillard, Mary K.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glaser, D. A.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glashow, Sheldon L.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Glauber, Roy J., 1925-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Goldhaber, Gerson

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Haeberli, W. (Willy)

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Heeger, Alan J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Helmholz, August Carl, 1915-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Herb, R. G. (Raymond George), 1908-1996

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Holdren, John P.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Hopfield, John J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Jackson, John David, 1925-2016

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Jeffries, C. D., 1922-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kittel, Charles

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Kraichnan, Robert H., 1928-2008

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Kroll, Norman Myles, 1922-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Langenberg, D. N., 1932-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Lawrence, Ernest Orlando, 1901-1958

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

Lee, T. D., 1926-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Louie, Steven G., 1949-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Luttinger, Joaquin M.

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Mandelstam, Stanley

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

McKee, Christopher, 1942-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

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

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

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.

Panofsky, Wolfgang K. H. (Wolfgang Kurt Hermann), 1919-2007

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Phillips, J. C.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Price, Paul Buford

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Reynolds, John Hamilton, 1923-2000

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Richards, Paul L. (Paul Linford)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Ruderman, Malvin A.

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Sachs, Robert Green, 1916-

Both employed at University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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

Both employed at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.

Segal, Irving Ezra

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Segrè, Emilio

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Serber, R. (Robert)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Shen, Y. R.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Smoot, George

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Steiner, Herbert M.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Teller, Edward, 1908-2003

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Thomas, Gareth, 1932-2014

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Tinkham, Michael

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Townes, Charles H.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Trilling, George H.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Van Harlingen, Dale J.

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Von Neumann, John, 1903-1957

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Weinberg, Steven, 1933-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Weyl, Hermann, 1885-1955

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

Yang, Chen Ning, 1922-

Both employed at the Institute for Advanced Study.

York, Herbert F. (Herbert Frank)

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Zumino, B. (Bruno), 1923-

Both employed at University of California, Berkeley.

Additional

Drell, Sidney D. (Sidney David), 1926-

Fitch, Val L., 1923-2015

Flatte, Stanley M.

Frieman, E. A.

Gell-Mann, Murray

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

Wheeler, John Archibald, 1911-2008

Institutions

Major Positions

Indiana University, Bloomington. Department of Physics

Assistant Professor of Physics.

Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Staff Member.

Lawrence Radiation Laboratory

Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Fellow and Staff Member.

Naval Research Laboratory (U.S.)

Researcher.

Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Marine Physical Laboratory.

Director.

University of California, Berkeley. Department of Physics

Professor of Physics.

University of California, San Diego. Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics.

Professor of Physical Oceanography and Professor Emeritus of Physical Oceanography.

University of Wisconsin--Madison. Department of Physics

Associate Professor of Physics.

Professional Activities & Affiliations

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

Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Fellow.

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

National Academy of Sciences (U.S.)

Member.

Resources

Archival Resources

Author

Oral history interview with Kenneth M. Watson, 1986 February 10.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Subject

Murray Gell-Mann papers, 1931-2001 (bulk 1955-1993).

Institute Archives

California Institute of Technology

1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Oral history interview with E. A. Frieman, 1986 June 26.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Edward A. Frieman, 2006 December 4 and 5.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Francis Eugene Low, 1986 April 29.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with John Archibald Wheeler, 1988 May 4, May 23 and November 28.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Keith Allan Brueckner, 1986 July 2.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Marvin L. Goldberger, 1986 February 12.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Oral history interview with Stanley Martin Flatté, 1986 July 2.

Niels Bohr Library & Archives

American Institute of Physics

One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA

Published Resources

Author

Atomic theory of gas dynamics / by John W. Bond, Jr., Kenneth M. Watson [and] Jasper A. Welch, Jr.

Autobiographical Note: Kenneth M. Watson

Collision theory / Marvin L. Goldberger, Kenneth M. Watson.

Topics in several particle dynamics [by] K.M. Watson and J. Nuttall, with a chapter by J.S.R. Chisholm.