List of Nobel laureates affiliated with Cornell University

Forty-one Nobel laureates have been affiliated with Cornell University. The building pictured is Goldwin Smith Hall.

The Nobel Prizes are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Karolinska Institute, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals who make outstanding contributions in the fields of chemistry, physics, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine.^[1] They were established by the 1895 will of Alfred Nobel, which dictates that the awards should be administered by the Nobel Foundation. Another prize, the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, was established in 1968 by the Sveriges Riksbank, the central bank of Sweden, for contributors to the field of economics.^[2] Each prize is awarded by a separate committee; the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awards the Prizes in Physics, Chemistry, and Economics, the Karolinska Institute awards the Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Prize in Peace.^[3] Each recipient receives a medal, a diploma and a cash prize that has varied throughout the years.^[2] In 1901, the winners of the first Nobel Prizes were given 150,782 SEK, which is equal to 7,731,004 SEK in December 2007. In 2008, the winners were awarded a prize amount of 10,000,000 SEK.^[4] The awards are presented in Stockholm in an annual ceremony on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death.^[5]

As of 2016, there have been 54 Nobel laureates affiliated with Cornell University, including 20 Cornell alumni (laureates who attended the university as undergraduate, graduate student or researcher) and 34 members of the faculty or visiting faculty^[6] The Nobel Prize categories of Physics and Physiology or Medicine each account for twelve awards to Cornell-affiliated laureates. People affiliated with Cornell also have received eight Nobel Prize awards for Chemistry, four for Literature, three for Economics, and two Nobel Peace Prizes.^[6]

Laureates

Year	Image	Laureate	Relation	Category	Rationale
1936		Debye, PeterPeter Debye	1940-1952, Professor of Chemistry,Professor of Chemistry, 1940-1952	Chemistry	"for his contributions to the study of molecular structure," primarily referring to his work on dipole moments and X-ray diffraction
1937		Thomson, George PagetGeorge Paget Thomson	1929-1930, Non–Resident Lecturer,Non–Resident Lecturer, 1929-1930	Physics	"for their experimental discovery of the diffraction of electrons by crystals"
1938		Buck, Pearl S.Pearl S. Buck	1925, M.A.,M.A., 1925	Literature	"for her rich and truly epic descriptions of peasant life in China and for her biographical masterpieces"[7]
1944		Gasser, Herbert SpencerHerbert Spencer Gasser	1931–1934, Cornell Medical College facultyCornell Medical College faculty 1931–1934	Physiology or Medicine
1944		Hahn, OttoOtto Hahn	1933[8], George Fisher Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in ChemistryGeorge Fisher Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in Chemistry 1933[9]	Chemistry	"for his discovery of the fission of heavy atomic nuclei."
1944		Rabi, Isidor IsaacIsidor Isaac Rabi	1919, B.Chem.B.Chem. 1919 Graduate study 1921-23 (transferred)	Physics	"for his resonance method for recording the magnetic properties of atomic nuclei"[10]
1946		Mott, JohnJohn Mott Co-recipient with Emily Greene Balch	1888 - Philosophy, B.S.B.S. 1888 - Philosophy	Peace	"Chairman, International Missionary Council; President, World Alliance of Young Men's Christian Associations"[11]
1946		Muller, Hermann JosephHermann Joseph Muller	Cornell graduate student 1911–1912	Physiology or Medicine
1946		Sumner, James B.James B. Sumner	Professor of Biochemistry/Nutrition 1929–1955; took emeritus status in 1955	Chemistry
1953		Lipmann, Fritz AlbertFritz Albert Lipmann	1939–1941, Research Associate, Cornell Medical CollegeResearch Associate, Cornell Medical College 1939–1941	Physiology or Medicine
1954		Pauling, LinusLinus Pauling[12][13]	1937–1938, George Fisher Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in ChemistryGeorge Fisher Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in Chemistry 1937–1938 1959, Messenger LecturerMessenger Lecturer 1959	Chemistry	"for his research into the nature of the chemical bond and its application to the elucidation of the structure of complex substances"
1955		Vigneaud, Vincent duVincent du Vigneaud	1938–1967, Professor, Cornell Medical CollegeProfessor, Cornell Medical College 1938–1967 1967–1974, Professor Emeritus, Ithaca campusProfessor Emeritus, Ithaca campus 1967–1974	Chemistry
1958		Beadle, George WellsGeorge Wells Beadle Co-recipient with Edward Tatum and Joshua Lederberg	1931, Ph.D.,Ph.D., 1931	Physiology or Medicine	"for their discovery that genes act by regulating definite chemical events"[14]
1960		Medawar, PeterPeter Medawar	, Andrew D. White Professor-at-LargeAndrew D. White Professor-at-Large	Physiology or Medicine
1962		Pauling, LinusLinus Pauling[12][13]	1937–1938, George Fischer Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in ChemistryGeorge Fischer Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in Chemistry 1937–1938 1959, Messenger LecturerMessenger Lecturer 1959	Peace
1965		Feynman, RichardRichard Feynman	1945-1950, Professor of Physics,Professor of Physics, 1945-1950	Physics	"their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles"
1967		Bethe, HansHans Bethe	1935-2005, Professor of Physics,Professor of Physics, 1935-2005	Physics
1967		Eigen, ManfredManfred Eigen	, A.D. White Professor-at-LargeA.D. White Professor-at-Large	Chemistry
1967		Hartline, Haldan KefferHaldan Keffer Hartline	1940–1941, Associate Professor of Physiology, Cornell Medical CollegeAssociate Professor of Physiology, Cornell Medical College 1940–1941	Physiology or Medicine
1968		Holley, Robert W.Robert W. Holley Co-recipient with H. Gobind Khorana and Marshall W. Nirenberg	1946, Ph.D.,Ph.D., 1946 Professor of Organic Chemistry, 1948-1966	Physiology or Medicine	"for their interpretation of the genetic code and its function in protein synthesis"[15]
1968		Khorana, Har GobindHar Gobind Khorana	1974–1980, A.D. White Professor-at-Large,A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1974–1980	Physiology or Medicine
1970		Alfvén, HannesHannes Alfvén	, Distinguished Professor in EngineeringDistinguished Professor in Engineering	Physics
1970		Borlaug, NormanNorman Borlaug	1982–1988, A.D. White Professor-at-Large,A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1982–1988	Peace
1971		Herzberg, GerhardGerhard Herzberg[16][17][18]	1968, George Fisher Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in ChemistryGeorge Fisher Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in Chemistry 1968	Chemistry	"for his contributions to the knowledge of electronic structure and geometry of molecules, particularly free radicals"
1972		Schrieffer, John RobertJohn Robert Schrieffer	1969–1975, A.D. White Professor-at-Large,A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1969–1975	Physics
1973		Josephson, Brian DavidBrian David Josephson Co-recipient with Leo Esaki and Ivar Giaever	1971–1972, NSF Fellow,NSF Fellow, 1971–1972[19]	Physics	"for their experimental discoveries regarding tunneling phenomena in semiconductors and superconductors, respectively" and the other half to Brian David Josephson "for his theoretical predictions of the properties of a supercurrent through a tunnel barrier, in particular those phenomena which are generally known as the Josephson effects"[20]
1974		Flory, PaulPaul Flory	1948–1957, Chemistry faculty,Chemistry faculty, 1948–1957	Chemistry
1979		Glashow, SheldonSheldon Glashow Co-recipient with Abdus Salam and Steven Weinberg	1954, B.A.,B.A., 1954	Physics	"for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current"[21]
1979		Weinberg, StevenSteven Weinberg Co-recipient with Abdus Salam and Sheldon Glashow	1954, B.A.B.A. 1954	Physics	"for their contributions to the theory of the unified weak and electromagnetic interaction between elementary particles, including, inter alia, the prediction of the weak neutral current"[21]
1981		Hoffmann, RoaldRoald Hoffmann Co-recipient with Kenichi Fukui	1965–Present, Professor of Chemistry,Professor of Chemistry, 1965–Present	Chemistry	"for their theories, developed independently, concerning the course of chemical reactions"[22]
1982		Wilson, Kenneth G.Kenneth G. Wilson	1963-1988, Professor of Physics,Professor of Physics, 1963-1988	Physics	"for his theory for critical phenomena in connection with phase transitions"[23]
1983		McClintock, BarbaraBarbara McClintock	1923, B.S.,B.S., 1923 M.A., 1925 Ph.D., 1927 Instructor in botany, 1927-1931 Andrew D. White Professor-at-Large, 1965-1974	Physiology or Medicine	"for her discovery of mobile genetic elements"[24]
1983		Taube, HenryHenry Taube	1944–1946, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, 1944–1946	Chemistry	for "his work in the mechanisms of electron-transfer reactions, especially in metal complexes."[25]
1986		Soyinka, WoleWole Soyinka	1985, Senior Fellow, Society for the Humanities,Senior Fellow, Society for the Humanities, 1985	Literature
1989		Varmus, HaroldHarold Varmus	2015-Present, Professor of Medicine, Professor of Medicine, 2015-Present	Medicine & Physiology
1990		Paz, OctavioOctavio Paz	1972-1974, A.D. White Professor-at-Large, A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1972-1974	Literature
1991		Gennes, Pierre-Gilles dePierre-Gilles de Gennes	Served on the Cornell faculty as 1977–1983, A.D. White Professor-at-LargeA.D. White Professor-at-Large 1977–1983 and Bethe Lecturer in Physics 1989–1990	Physics
1991		Ernst, Richard R.Richard R. Ernst	1998, A.D. White Professor-at-Large,A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1998	Chemistry
1993		Morrison, ToniToni Morrison	1955 - English, M.A.M.A. 1955 - English A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1997-2003	Literature	"who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality"[26]
1993		Hulse, Russell AlanRussell Alan Hulse Co-recipient with Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.	1974, Scholar at Arecibo Observatory of Cornell University in Puerto RicoScholar at Arecibo Observatory of Cornell University in Puerto Rico 1974[27]	Physics	"for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation"[28]
1993		Fogel, RobertRobert Fogel	1948, B.A.,B.A., 1948	Economics	"for having renewed research in economic history by applying economic theory and quantitative methods in order to explain economic and institutional change"[29]
1996		Lee, David MorrisDavid Morris Lee Co-recipient with Douglas D. Osheroff and Robert C. Richardson	1959–2009, Professor of Physics,Professor of Physics, 1959–2009	Physics	"for their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3"[30]
1996		Osheroff, Douglas D.Douglas D. Osheroff Co-recipient with David M. Lee and Robert C. Richardson	1971 - Physics, M.S.M.S. 1971 - Physics Ph.D. 1973 - Physics	Physics	"for their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3"[30]
1996		Richardson, Robert ColemanRobert Coleman Richardson Co-recipient with Douglas D. Osheroff and David M. Lee	1966–1967, Research Associate,Research Associate, 1966–1967 Professor of Physics, 1968–2013	Physics	"for their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3"[30]
1998		Furchgott, Robert F.Robert F. Furchgott	1941–1949, Research Associate (Medicine)/Instructor (Physiology and Biophysics/Assistant Professor Medicine),Research Associate (Medicine)/Instructor (Physiology and Biophysics/Assistant Professor Medicine), 1941–1949	Physiology or Medicine
1998		Sen, AmartyaAmartya Sen	1978–1984, A.D. White Professor-at-Large,A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1978–1984	Economics
2000		Greengard, PaulPaul Greengard	1981–1987, A.D. White Professor-at-Large,A.D. White Professor-at-Large, 1981–1987	Physiology or Medicine
2002		Leggett, Anthony JamesAnthony James Leggett	, Visiting Professor, 04/1973, 07/1974 Bethe Lecturer, 04/1980 Visiting Scientist, 01/1983–08/1983[31]Visiting Professor, 04/1973, 07/1974 Bethe Lecturer, 04/1980 Visiting Scientist, 01/1983–08/1983[32]	Physics	"for pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids"
2003		Engle, Robert F.Robert F. Engle	1966, M.S.,M.S., 1966, Ph.D., 1969	Economics	"for methods of analyzing economic time series with time-varying volatility (ARCH)"[33]
2009		Szostak, Jack W.Jack W. Szostak Co-recipient with Elizabeth H. Blackburn and Carol W. Greider	1977 - Biochemistry, Ph.D.Ph.D. 1977 - Biochemistry	Physiology or Medicine	"for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase"[34]
2013		Englert, FrançoisFrançois Englert Co-recipient with Peter Higgs	1959-1961, Research associate and assistant professorResearch associate and assistant professor 1959-1961	Physics	"for the theoretical discovery of a mechanism that contributes to our understanding of the origin of mass of subatomic particles, and which recently was confirmed through the discovery of the predicted fundamental particle"[35]
2014		Betzig, EricEric Betzig	, M.S. 1985, Ph.D. 1988 - Applied and Engineering Physics M.S. 1985, Ph.D. 1988 - Applied and Engineering Physics	Chemistry	"for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy"[36]
2014		Moerner, William E.William E. Moerner	1978, Ph.D. 1982 - Physics , M.S. M.S. 1978, Ph.D. 1982 - Physics	Chemistry	"for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy"[37]
2016		Thouless, David J.David J. Thouless Co-recipient with Duncan Haldane and John M. Kosterlitz	, Ph.D. 1958Ph.D. 1958	Physics	"for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter"[38]
2016		Kosterlitz, John M.John M. Kosterlitz Co-recipient with Duncan Haldane and David J. Thouless	1973-1974, PostdocPostdoc 1973-1974	Physics	"for theoretical discoveries of topological phase transitions and topological phases of matter"[39]

References

General

• "Cornell - Nobel Laureates Affiliated with Cornell University". Cornell University. Retrieved 2009-03-23.

Specific

1. "Alfred Nobel – The Man Behind the Nobel Prize". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
2. "The Nobel Prize". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
3. "The Nobel Prize Awarders". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
4. "The Nobel Prize Amounts". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
5. "The Nobel Prize Award Ceremonies". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on 2008-08-22. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
6. "Nobel Laureates Affiliated with Cornell University". Cornell University. Retrieved 2011-03-18.
7. "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1938". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
8. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1944/hahn-bio.html
9. http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1944/hahn-bio.html
10. "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1944". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
11. "The Nobel Prize in Peace 1946". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
12. "Pauling's Lecturer Tenure at Cornell".
13. "Preface of the Nature of the Chemical Bond and the Structure of Molecules and Crystals".
14. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
15. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1968". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
16. "Gerhard Herzberg Biography on Nobel Prize Official Website".
17. "Gerhard Herzberg Biography on Optical Society Of America Official Website".
18. "Gerhard Herzberg Biography on Example problems".
19. "Biography of Brian D. Josephson from Nobel Official site".
20. "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1973".
21. "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1979". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
22. "The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1981". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
23. Nobelprize Physics 1982
24. "The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1983". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
25. "Press Release: The 1983 Nobel Prize in Chemistry". NobelPrize.org The Official Website of the Nobel Prize. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
26. "The Nobel Prize in Literature 1993". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
27. "Biography of Russell A. Hulse from Notable Names Database".
28. "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1993".
29. "The Nobel Prize in Economics 1993". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
30. "The Nobel Prize in Physics 1996". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
31. https://www.bnl.gov/energy/ces/cv/leggett.asp
32. https://www.bnl.gov/energy/ces/cv/leggett.asp
33. "The Nobel Prize in Economics 2003". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
34. "Medicine 2009". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2009-10-05.
35. "Physics 2013" (PDF). Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2013-10-08.
36. "Chemistry 2014". Nobel Foundation.
37. "Chemistry 2014". Nobel Foundation.
38. "Physics 2016". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
39. "Physics 2016". Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2016-10-04.

External links

• Official website of Cornell University
• Official website of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Official website of the Nobel Foundation