Princeton University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Physics

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton University professor James Peebles was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics "for contributions to our understanding of the evolution of the universe and Earth’s place in the cosmos" and "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology," said Göran K. Hansson, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Peebles, a 1962 graduate alumnus, shares the prize with Michel Mayor of the University of Geneva and Didier Queloz of the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and the University of Cambridge "for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star."

The more than $900,000 prize will be split with Peebles receiving half of the award.

"James Peebles took on the cosmos, with its billions of galaxies and galaxy clusters. His theoretical framework, developed over two decades, is the foundation of our modern understanding of the universe’s history, from the Big Bang to the present day," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Born April 25, 1935, in Manitoba, Canada, Peebles received his B.S. from University of Manitoba in 1958 and earned his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton in 1962.

He taught at the University for his entire career — he was an instructor and researcher in the early 1960s, became an assistant professor in 1965, associate professor in 1968 and full professor in 1972. He transferred to emeritus status in 2000.

"When I started working in this subject — I can tell you the date, 1964 — at the invitation of my mentor, Professor Robert Henry Dicke, I was very uneasy about going into this subject because the experimental observational basis was so modest. ... I just kept going," Peebles said during the Nobel news conference by phone. "Which particular step did I take? I would be very hard-pressed to say. It’s a life’s work."

Peebles has published several books on cosmology and has an upcoming book, "Cosmology’s Century, An Inside History of Our Modern Understanding of the Universe," which will come out in June 2020 from Princeton University Press.

Princeton President Christopher L. Eisgruber, who received his degree in physics from Princeton in 1983, praised Peebles’ contributions to the field and generations of students at Princeton.

"Jim Peebles is an extraordinary physicist, a man who has thought deeply and clearly about the structure of the universe," Eisgruber said. "He exemplifies both Princeton’s dazzling tradition of fundamental research in cosmology and gravitation, and also this University’s commitment to put its best scholars in the classroom. During my own time as a physics major, he was a popular teacher and a fixture in the undergraduate program, and I am among the many students who benefited from his superb instruction."

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