Nobel Prize Research

For more than a century, Columbia Physics has been at the forefront of scientific discovery, contributing to some of the most transformative advances in modern physics. Research conducted by Columbia faculty, students, and alumni has been recognized with numerous Nobel Prizes (more than ten Nobel Prize winners since 1944) and has shaped our understanding of the universe at every scale. Fifteen Nobel laureates in physics have served on the faculty, with five laureates having graduated from Columbia College, including the winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics, Arthur Ashkin. Another eleven Nobel laureates received their physics PhDs from Columbia. Of the Physics Nobel laureates that are associated with Columbia, thirteen received the award for their work in theoretical physics and eighteen for their experimental discoveries; ten performed their prize-winning research in Pupin Hall. Below is the full list of Columbia-affiliated winners:

Columbia's tradition of Nobel Prize-winning research is deeply connected to the Department's commitment to innovation, rigorous inquiry, and scientific collaboration. Many groundbreaking discoveries were made in Pupin Hall, where generations of physicists conducted pioneering research that continues to influence contemporary science and technology. Ten Nobel Prizes have been awarded for work performed within the Columbia Physics Department itself.

A Legacy of Discovery

The Department's Nobel Prize history spans a remarkable range of scientific achievements, including:

The discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular beam techniques
The development of the maser and foundational laser technologies
Breakthroughs in quantum electrodynamics
The discovery of parity violation and fundamental particle symmetries
Advances in particle physics, cosmology, and quantum information science
Research on superconductivity, quantum materials, and atomic physics

These discoveries have not only expanded scientific knowledge but have also enabled technologies that impact everyday life, including medical imaging, telecommunications, precision measurement, computing, and advanced materials research.

Nobel Prize Date: 1902
Name: H.A. Lorentz
Association with Columbia: EKA Lecturer in Mathematical Physics, 1905-1906

Nobel Prize Date: 1913
Name: W. Wien
Association with Columbia: EKA Lecturer in Mathematical Physics, 1913

Nobel Prize Date: 1918 (awarded 1919)
Name: M. Planck
Association with Columbia: EKA Lecturer in Mathematical Physics, 1909

Nobel Prize Date: 1923
Name: R.A.Millikan
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1895 (the first Ph.D. awarded by the department)

Nobel Prize Date: 1938
Name: E. Fermi
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1939-1946

Nobel Prize Date: 1944
Name: I.I. Rabi*
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1927; Faculty, 1929-1967; Professor Emeritus, 1967-1988

Nobel Prize Date: 1949
Name: H. Yukawa
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1949-1953

Nobel Prize Date: 1955
Name: W.E. Lamb
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1938-1951

Nobel Prize Date: 1955
Name: P. Kusch*
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1939-1971

Nobel Prize Date: 1957
Name: T.D. Lee*
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1953-2012; Professor Emeritus, 2012-2024

Nobel Prize Date: 1963
Name: M. Goeppert-Mayer
Association with Columbia: Research Staff and Faculty, 1939-1946

Nobel Prize Date: 1964
Name: C.H. Townes*
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1948-1961

Nobel Prize Date: 1965
Name: J. Schwinger
Association with Columbia: Columbia B.A., 1936; Columbia Ph.D., 1939

Nobel Prize Date: 1967
Name: H.A. Bethe
Association with Columbia: Visiting Professor, 1948 and 1949

Nobel Prize Date: 1969
Name: M. Gell-Mann
Association with Columbia: Visiting Professor, 1954-1955

Nobel Prize Date: 1972
Name: L. Cooper
Association with Columbia: Columbia B.A., 1951; Columbia Ph.D., 1954

Nobel Prize Date: 1975
Name: A. Bohr*
Association with Columbia: Research Staff, 1948-1949

Nobel Prize Date: 1975
Name: J. Rainwater*
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1946; Faculty, 1946-1986

Nobel Prize Date: 1976
Name: S.C.C. Ting
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1965-1969

Nobel Prize Date: 1978
Name: A.A. Penzias
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1962

Nobel Prize Date: 1979
Name: S. Weinberg
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1957-1959

Nobel Prize Date: 1980
Name: V.L. Fitch
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1954

Nobel Prize Date: 1981
Name: A.L. Schawlow
Association with Columbia: Research Staff, 1949-1951

Nobel Prize Date: 1984
Name: C. Rubbia
Association with Columbia: Research Staff, 1958-1959

Nobel Prize Date: 1988
Name: L.M. Lederman*
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1951; Faculty, 1951-1979

Nobel Prize Date: 1988
Name: M. Schwartz*
Association with Columbia: Columbia B.A., 1953; Columbia Ph.D., 1958; Faculty, 1957-1966, 1991-2000

Nobel Prize Date: 1988
Name: J. Steinberger*
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1950-1969

Nobel Prize Date: 1989
Name: N. Ramsey
Association with Columbia: Columbia B.A., 1935; Columbia Ph.D., 1937; Faculty, 1942-1946

Nobel Prize Date: 1995
Name: M. Perl
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1955

Nobel Prize Date: 1998
Name: H. Stormer
Association with Columbia: Faculty, 1998-present

Nobel Prize Date: 2018
Name: A. Ashkin
Association with Columbia: Columbia B.A., 1947

Nobel Prize Date: 2022
Name: J. Clauser
Association with Columbia: Columbia Ph.D., 1969

Nobel Prize Date: * Nobel awarded for work done in the Columbia physics department

Nobel Prize Research

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