Joel Primack
Joel R. Primack | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joel Robert Primack July 14, 1945 |
| Died | November 13, 2025 (aged 80) Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) Stanford University (PhD) |
| Occupation | Physicist |
| Spouse | Nancy Ellen Abrams |
| Children | 1 daughter |
| Awards | Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Senior Award, 1997 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | University of California, Santa Cruz University of California High-Performance AstroComputing Center |
| Website | primack |
Joel Robert Primack (July 14, 1945 – November 13, 2025) was an American physicist. He was a professor of physics and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and was a member of the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics.[1][2]
Life and career
Primack received his A.B. from Princeton University in 1966 and his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1970. His fields of study were relativistic quantum field theory, cosmology, and particle astrophysics. He was also involved in supercomputer simulations of dark matter models. He directed the University of California High-Performance AstroComputing Center (UC-HiPACC). Primack is best known for his co-authorship with George R. Blumenthal, Sandra Moore Faber, and Martin Rees of the theory of cold dark matter (CDM) in 1984.[3][4] He co-authored two books with Nancy Abrams, The View from the Center of the Universe (2006)[5] and The New Universe and the Human Future (2011).[6] He played main roles in starting the Congressional Science and Technology Fellowship program, the Forum on Physics and Society of the American Physical Society, and the Science and Human Rights program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1970–1973.[7] He was a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
In 2024, Primack was awarded the AAAS Philip Hauge Abelson Prize, for his lifelong work in bringing science and scientists into policy discussions pertaining to societal issues. A news report on this award quoted Primack saying, on receiving the award:
As a young scientist, I was often advised that spending time on social and political issues would be career suicide, and that I should focus solely on research. But I take seriously the social responsibility of scientists, and I deeply appreciate being recognized both for my scientific contributions and for my efforts to broaden the opportunities for scientists and scientific societies to help solve the challenges facing our world.[8]
Primack died in Palo Alto, California, on November 13, 2025, at the age of 80.[9][10]
References
- ^ "Joel R. Primack". Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ "Welcome from the Director". Retrieved 29 January 2013.
- ^ Blumenthal; et al. (11 Oct 1984). "Formation of galaxies and large-scale structure with cold dark matter" (PDF). Nature. 311 (5986): 517–525. Bibcode:1984Natur.311..517B. doi:10.1038/311517a0. OSTI 1447148. S2CID 4324282.
- ^ Joel R. Primack, "Dark Matter, Galaxies, and Large Scale Structure in the Universe", SLAC-PUB-3387 (July 1984), in Proceedings of the International School of Physics XCII 1987
- ^ The View from the Center of the Universe. Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, Riverhead Books, 2007 (ISBN 978-1594482557).
- ^ The New Universe and the Human Future—The Terry Lectures. Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams, Yale University Press, 2012 (ISBN 978-0300181241).
- ^ David Hafemeiste. "History of the Forum on Physics and Society". Forum on Physics and Society, Vol 28, p 3–5. ; Link in APS website
- ^ Villanueva, Chiara (25 February 2024). "UC Santa Cruz professor wins national award for science research and policy". Santa Cruz Sentinel.
- ^ Pena, Mike (1 December 2025). "In Memoriam: Joel Primack". UC Santa Cruz News.
- ^ Chang, Kenneth (17 January 2026). "Joel Primack, Physicist Who Helped Explain the Cosmos, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 January 2026.
External links
- The Terry Lectures 2009 - Yale University—first of four lectures on cosmology by Joel Primack and Nancy Abrams.
- Joel Primack at IMDb