Rate My Professor Russell Hulse

Russell A. Hulse is a prominent figure in Physics at The University of Texas at Dallas, recognized worldwide as the co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics. Born in the Bronx, New York, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 1970. He then pursued graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, earning his PhD in Physics in 1975. It was during this time, in 1974, that Hulse, a 23-year-old graduate student, and his advisor Joseph H. Taylor Jr. discovered the first binary pulsar—a twin star system that provided a rare natural laboratory for testing Albert Einstein’s prediction of gravitational waves and other aspects of general relativity. This groundbreaking discovery, ranked among the top scientific achievements of the 20th century, has had a significant impact on astrophysics and gravitational physics research. For this work, Hulse and Taylor shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993.

Following his PhD, Hulse held a postdoctoral appointment at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 1977, he shifted from pulsar radio astronomy to plasma physics, joining Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory, where he conducted research on computer modeling of controlled thermonuclear fusion plasmas for 30 years. Hulse joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Dallas in 2004, becoming the third Nobel laureate in the university’s history. He served as Regental Professor and Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. Additionally, as Founding Director of the UT Dallas Science and Engineering Education Center (SEEC), he developed and implemented STEM education outreach programs, contributing to community engagement in science and engineering.