Physicists Profiles
What You Can Do With Physics
Physicists don't all work in labs or teach physics, although many do, and love their jobs.
A physics degree will qualify you for a variety of careers from inventing to analyzing to improving. Find out the diversity of physics by exploring the jobs of these physicists.
Albin Gonzalez
Think physics and medicine don't mix? Think again! Discover the field of medical physics and Albin, a medical physicist helping patients beat cancer.
Alejandro Rodriguez
Can we one day have paper-thin cell phones? Alejandro's work may just figure out how.
Alice White
Alice went from a minority in her field to a leading researcher in exciting new technologies.
Alicia Soderberg
Alicia once wanted to be an environmental scientist, but she fell in love with looking at the stars in the night's sky.
Alison Binkowski
Alison is a physicist, policy analyst, avid traveler, and proficient in Spanish and Mandarin.
Beth Brown
High school physics bore Beth so much she dropped it- but a look through a telescope changed her mind.
Brent Wouters
A love for aircraft took Brent to the top of the corporate ladder.
Brian Cox
Brian went from rocking out on stage to Britain's rock star of science.
Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos is a materials scientist inspiring students and finding materials to make devices work better.
Chien Chung (Didi) Pei
Didi has contributed his design skills to structures all over the world.
Christina Barrow
Christina uses physics everyday to make sure that veterans receive quality cancer radiation treatments.
Claudia Alexander
Claudia likes to write science fiction and ride horses when she's not studying comets and moons.
Collin Joseph
Collin loves to cook when he's not too busy in the biophysics lab.
David Sweigart
A chemistry internship got undergraduate David hooked on physics, and took him to the LHC.
David X. Cohen
David grew up surrounded by science, but chose to pursue comedy writing as a career.
Deborah Berebichez
As a child in Mexico, Debbie was told science wasn't for girls. Debbie however broke down that barrier and is now a Wall Street analyst. She invites all girls to join her!
Edward Thomas
Edward admits that physics is hard, but there are many exciting projects that make all the work worthwhile.
Ellen Ochoa
Ellen once considered an education in music, but instead, she became the first Hispanic woman in space.
Elon Musk
Elon is an entrepreneur, rumored to be the modern-day Tony Stark, and inspiration for the Iron Man movies.
Evelynn Hammonds
Evelynn holds honorary degrees at Spelman College and Bates College.
Gabriela Gonzalez
Gabriela shapes minds as a professor and attempts to unlock the mysteries of Gravitational Waves as a researcher.
Ginger Kerrick
Who says only kids dream of space exploration? Ginger chased her dreams in spite of many setbacks.
Hakeem Oluseyi
Hakeem turned to physics to escape his rough neighborhood. Now, he's an astrophysicist, professor, and global philanthropist.
James Kakalios
James teaches physics with comic books and superheroes and consults for movies such as Watchmen.
Keivan Stassun
Keivan says the best thing about being a physicist is there’s no better way to impress the person sitting next to you on an airplane.
Kelle Cruz
Kelle spends much of her time looking at small stars, but when's she not looking at stars, she's blogging and traveling.
Kenny Jensen
Kenny's inventing mind and love for sailing has him tackling renewable energy in innovative ways.
Lisa Randall
Lisa may be on her way to discovering the next dimension, and she wants to share it with physicists and non-physicists alike.
Luz Martinez-Miranda
Luz is fascinated by the way optics problems relate to the real world. “There was something about lenses that made me want to study more,” she says.
Lynett Rock
Lynett Rock, a member of the Cherokee Nation, first learned physics via satellite. Now she teaches college physics and math in person.
Marta Dark McNeese
Marta chose physics mostly because she was fascinated with optics, and a little bit because she was afraid of chemicals and disliked knives.
Michio Kaku
In high school, Michio used 400lbs of scrap metal and his entire house's electrical supply to power his homemade atom smasher. His ideas have only gotten bigger since!
Middy Tilghman
Middy Tilghman's love for whitewater kayaking and adventures has taken him around the globe.
Nadya Mason
Nadya went from gymnastics Olympic hopeful to research scientist.
Nicolas Hayek
What do watches and SmartCars have in common? Ask Nicolas Hayek, physics student gone world-famous businessman.
Paul Markoff–Johnson
Paul has spent most of his career working on creating incredibly thin coatings made of materials selected for their special abilities.
Ramón Barthelemy
Ramón is fighting for equality in physics. Find out how!
Ronald Mickens
Ron's curious mind and passion for science led him to pursue a career as an educator and a physicist.
Ryan O'Donnell
Ryan is still in his undergraduate years, but he has big plans ahead.
Sam Wurzel
A physicist's problem sparked Sam's innovative business.
Shirley Ann Jackson
Shirley has come a long way from her childhood fascination with the bumblebees in her backyard.
Steven Chu
Steven won the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics and works as the Secretary of Energy under President Barack Obama.
Yung Tae Kim
Dr. Tae believes skateboarding can save math and science education, and he thinks you'll agree.
