CV

Professor of Theoretical Physics

Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University

Teaching at Palmer Physical Laboratory (now 302 Frist Campus Center). While not a professor at Princeton, I associated with the physics professors and continued to give lectures on campus.

• Relativity
• Description 2.

Visiting Professor

California Institute of Technology

• Description 1.
• Description 2.

Director

Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics

Professor of Theoretical Physics

Karl-Ferdinand University

Associate Professor of Theoretical Physics

University of Zurich

Nobel Prize in Physics

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Nobel Prizes are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel’s will of 1895, are awarded to ‘those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind.’

Max Planck Medal

German Physical Society

Awarded for outstanding scientific achievement

Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Körper

Annalen der Physik

It concerned an interpretation of the Michelson–Morley experiment and the properties of light and time. Special relativity incorporates the principle that the speed of light is the same for all inertial observers regardless of the state of motion of the source.

Über einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt

Annalen der Physik

In the second paper, he applied the quantum theory to light to explain the photoelectric effect. In particular, he used the idea of light quanta (photons) to explain experimental results, but stressed the importance of the experimental results. The importance of his work on the photoelectric effect earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.

Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie

Annalen der Physik

The publication of the theory of general relativity made him internationally famous. He was professor of physics at the universities of Zurich (1909–1911) and Prague (1911–1912), before he returned to ETH Zurich (1912–1914).