Freeman Dyson

Freeman Dyson was a theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, and mathematician. He was a writer, as well as a professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Freeman Dyson taught at IAS for most of his life (1953-1994). Dyson published many books over the years including: Disturbing the Universe, Weapons and Hope, Infinite in All Directions, Origins of Life, The Scientist as Rebel, Dreams of Earth and Sky, and A Many-Colored Glass: Reflections on the Place of Life in the Universe. He was also a member of JASON , an independent consortium of scientists advising the US government, for around 50 years.

He is well-known for his work with quantum electrodynamics, or QED, which he did early on in his career alongside Richard Feynman and Julian Schwinger. Feynman and Schwinger earned a Nobel Prize for their research in this area, while Dyson's work focused on the unification of their theories.

Freeman Dyson is remembered for his work on Project Orion, which focused on the development of a nuclear bomb-powered space rocket. Though this project was shut down in 1968, the research and technology developed by the project were significant.

Dyson explored and developed theories concerning the search for extraterrestrials, along with the possibilities for advanced civilizations and potential for human life on other planets. These ideas, introduced in the 1960s, include the Dyson Sphere and the Dyson Tree, both of which were latched onto by science fiction writers. The Dyson Sphere is a concept that is still being studied by scientists. Dyson is also known for challenging claims and solutions regarding climate change, as exemplified in his book The Scientist as Rebel, which challenged the impact of human activity on climate change.

Freeman Dyson attended Weinchester College in England from 1936-1941. He began attending University of Cambridge at the age of seventeen (1941-43).His education was put on hold during World War II, when he served as a civilian doing Operations Research at Headquarters, R.A.F. Bomber Command, in 1943. He graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge in 1945.

He was a graduate student at Trinity College at Cambridge in 1947, until he moved to the US to attend Cornell University. He was a Visiting Member at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1948 and did research at the University of Birmingham in 1948. The following year he began a professorship at Cornell University, teaching physics. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1952. Finally Dyson became a professor at IAS Princeton in 1953, where he remained until his retirement in 1994.Freeman Dyson never received a PhD, though he is acknowledged as an influential intellectual and theoretic physicist.

Freeman Dyson's Honorary Degrees:

Yeshiva University, 1966

University of Glasgow, 1974

Princeton University, 1974

University of York, 1980

City University of London, 1981

New School of Social Research, 1982

Rensselaer Polytechnic, 1983

Susquehanna University, 1984

Depauw University, 1987

Rider College, 1989

Bates College, 1991

Haverford College, 1991