Thomas Rosenbaum

Thomas F. Rosenbaum is the ninth president of the California Institute of Technology, holding the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and serving as Professor of Physics since 2014. He earned an A.B. cum laude in Physics from Harvard College in 1977, an M.A. in Physics from Princeton University in 1979, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University in 1982. Early in his career, Rosenbaum conducted research at Bell Laboratories from 1979 to 1982 and served as a Visiting Scientist at the IBM Watson Research Center from 1982 to 1983. At the University of Chicago, he progressed from Assistant Professor of Physics (1983–1986) to Associate Professor (1986–1990), Professor of Physics (1990–2001), James Franck Professor of Physics (2001–2004), and John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor (2004–2014). He also directed the NSF Materials Research Laboratory (1991–1994), the James Franck Institute (1995–2001), served as Vice-President for Research and for Argonne National Laboratory (2002–2006), and as Provost (2007–2014).

In Physics, Rosenbaum leads a condensed matter physics laboratory dedicated to exploring the quantum mechanical nature of materials—the physics of electronic, magnetic, and optical materials at the atomic level best observed at temperatures near absolute zero. The group reveals fundamental science associated with state changes and harnesses collective magnetic, electronic, or optical effects for applications, combining model systems with technologically relevant materials. Key contributions include investigations of metal-insulator transitions. He co-authored the book Quantum Phase Transitions in Transverse Field Models: From Statistical Physics to Quantum Information (Cambridge University Press, 2015). Seminal papers include “Sharp Metal-Insulator Transition in a Random Solid” (Physical Review Letters, 1980), “Conductivity Cusp in a Disordered Metal” (Physical Review Letters, 1981), and “Giant Dielectric Constants at the Approach to the Insulator-Metal Transition” (Physical Review B, 1982). Awards include the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (1984), Presidential Young Investigator Award (1984), William L. McMillan Award (1986), American Physical Society Fellowship (1994), American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellowship (2004), American Academy of Arts and Sciences election (2010), and Honorary Doctorate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (2015). He serves on the Society for Science & the Public Board of Trustees, as General Member of the Aspen Center for Physics, and on the American Academy of Arts & Sciences Los Angeles Program Committee.

Professional Email: tfr@caltech.edu