Abdus Salam (1926 – 1996)Salam was co-awarded the 1979 Nobel Prize for formulating the Electroweak Theory. He showed that the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force—which seem completely different at everyday low energies—are actually two aspects of a single, unified "electroweak" force at incredibly high energies. This work predicted the existence of the weak exchange bosons before they were ever seen in a particle accelerator.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Abdus%20Salam.jpgAlbert Einstein (1879-1955)Einstein is best known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Relativity and quantum mechanics are together the two pillars of modern physics. His mass–energy equivalence formula, which arises from relativity theory, has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. His intellectual achievements and originality resulted in "Einstein" becoming synonymous with "genius".https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Albert%20Einstein.jpgAndrea Ghez (b.1965)American astronomer Andrea M. Ghez received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy."https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Andrea%20Ghez.jpgAnnie Jump Cannon (1863–1941)Annie Jump Cannon was a pioneering astronomer whose development of the OBAFGKM stellar classification system and cataloging of hundreds of thousands of stars laid the foundation for modern astrophysics and remains central to how scientists understand stellar temperatures and evolution today.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Annie%20Jump%20Cannon.jpgCaroline Herschel (1750-1848)Caroline Herschel was a German astronomer, whose most significant contributions to astronomy were the discoveries of several comets, including the periodic comet 35P/Herschel–Rigollet, which bears her name. She was the first woman to receive a salary as a scientist and the first woman in England to hold a government position. She was also the first woman to publish scientific findings in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, to be awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1828), and to be named an honorary Member of the Royal Astronomical Society.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Caroline%20Herschel.jpgCatherine Johnson (1918–2020)Katherine Johnson was an American mathematician whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed spaceflights. During her 33-year career at NASA and its predecessor, she earned a reputation for mastering complex manual calculations and helped pioneer the use of computers to perform the tasks. The space agency noted her "historical role as one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist".https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Catherine%20Johnson.jpgCecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900-1979)Cecilia Helena Payne-Gaposchkin was a British-born American astronomer and astrophysicist who proposed in her 1925 doctoral thesis that stars were composed primarily of hydrogen and helium. Her groundbreaking conclusion was initially rejected because it contradicted the scientific wisdom of the time, which held that there were no significant elemental differences between the Sun and Earth. Independent observations eventually proved she was correct. Her work on the nature of variable stars, carried out with her husband, Sergei Gaposchkin, were foundational to modern astrophysics.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Cecilia%20Payne-Gaposchkin.jpgChanda Prescod-Weinstein (b.1982)Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a groundbreaking theoretical cosmologist whose influential research on dark matter, cosmology, and particle physics—combined with her leadership in advancing diversity and equity in STEM—has made her one of the most impactful scientific voices of her generation.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Chanda%20Prescod-Weinstein.jpgChien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997)Best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that parity is not conserved. This discovery resulted in her colleagues Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, while Wu herself was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Chien-Shiung%20Wu.jpgClaudia MarastonProfessor Claudia Maraston is a leading astrophysicist whose pioneering stellar population models have become essential tools for understanding how galaxies form and evolve, earning her major recognition such as the Royal Astronomical Society’s Eddington Medal for outstanding contributions to theoretical astrophysics.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Claudia%20Maraston.jpgEmmy Noether (1882-1935)Amalie Emmy Noether was a German mathematician who made many important contributions to abstract algebra. She discovered Noether's theorem, which is fundamental in mathematical physics. She was described by Pavel Alexandrov, Albert Einstein, Jean Dieudonné, Hermann Weyl and Norbert Wiener as the most important woman in the history of mathematics. As one of the leading mathematicians of her time, she developed some theories of rings, fields, and algebras. In physics, Noether's theorem explains the connection between symmetry and conservation laws.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Emmy%20Noether.jpgEnrico Fermi (1901-1954)Enrico Fermi was an Italian physicist and the creator of the world's first nuclear reactor. He was one of very few physicists to excel in both theoretical physics and experimental physics. Fermi was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity by neutron bombardment and for the discovery of transuranium elements. He made significant contributions to the development of statistical mechanics, quantum theory, and nuclear and particle physics.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Enrico%20Fermi.jpgAMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARYErnest Rutherford (1871-1937)Rutherford was responsible for a remarkable series of discoveries in the fields of radioactivity and nuclear physics. He discovered alpha and beta rays, set forth the laws of radioactive decay, and identified alpha particles as helium nuclei. Most importantly, he postulated the nuclear structure of the atom: experiments done in Rutherford’s laboratory showed that when alpha particles are fired into gas atoms, a few are violently deflected, which implies a dense, positively charged central region containing most of the atomic mass.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Ernest%20Rutherford.jpgAMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARYErnst Mach (1838-1916)Ernst Mach was a Moravian-born Austrian physicist and philosopher, who contributed to the physics of shock waves. The ratio of one's speed to that of sound is named the Mach number in his honour. As a philosopher of science, he was a major influence on logical positivism and American pragmatism. Through his criticism of Newton's theories of space and time, he foreshadowed Einstein's theory of relativity.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Ernst%20Mach.jpgFabiola Gianotti (b.1960)Fabiola Gianotti is an Italian experimental particle physicist, and the first woman to be Director-General at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in Switzerland. Her first mandate began on 1 January 2016 and ran for a period of five years. At its 195th Session in 2019, the CERN Council selected Gianotti for an unprecedented second term as Director-General. Her second five-year term began on 1 January 2021 and go on until 2025. This is the first time in CERN's history that a Director-General has been appointed for a full second term.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Fabiola%20Gianotti.jpgGalileo Galilei (1564-1642)Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a polymath, from the city of Pisa, then part of the Duchy of Florence. Galileo has been called the "father" of observational astronomy, modern physics, the scientific method, and modern science.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Galileo%20Galilei.jpgHenri Becquerel (1852 – 1908)Antoine Henri Becquerel was a French experimental physicist who shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Marie and Pierre Curie for his discovery of radioactivity.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Henri%20Becquerel.jpgJames Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879)James Clerk Maxwell was a Scottish physicist best known for his formulation of electromagnetic theory. He is regarded by most modern physicists as the scientist of the 19th century who had the greatest influence on 20th-century physics, and he is ranked with Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein for the fundamental nature of his contributions.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/James%20Clerk%20Maxwell.jpgJames Prescott Joule (1818-1889)Joule was an English physicist, mathematician and brewer, born in Salford, Lancashire. He studied the nature of heat, and discovered its relationship to mechanical work. This led to the law of conservation of energy, which in turn led to the development of the first law of thermodynamics. The SI derived unit of energy, the joule, is named after him.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/James%20Prestcott%20Joule.jpgJames Watt (1736-1819)James Watt was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/James%20Watt.jpgJocelyn Bell Burnell (b.1943)Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE FRS FRSE FRAS FInstPis an astrophysicist from Northern Ireland who, as a postgraduate student, discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967. Bell Burnell was president of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004, president of the Institute of Physics from October 2008 until October 2010, and interim president of the Institute following the death of her successor, Marshall Stoneham, in early 2011. In 2018, she was awarded the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. Following the announcement of the award, she decided to use the £2.3 million prize money to establish the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund, to help female, minority and refugee students become physics researchers. In 2021, Bell Burnell became the second female recipient of the Copley Medal. Northern Ireland’s Ulster Bank has unveiled its new polymer £50 bank note, with Jocelyn Bell on the note, whom the bank describes as critical to advancing science.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Jocelyn%20Bell%20Burnell.jpgJoseph John Thomson (1856-1940)In 1897, Thomson showed that cathode rays were composed of previously unknown negatively charged particles (now called electrons), which he calculated must have bodies much smaller than atoms and a very large charge-to-mass ratio. Thomson is also credited with finding the first evidence for isotopes of a stable element. His experiments to determine the nature of positively charged particles, with Francis William Aston, were the first use of mass spectrometry and led to the development of the mass spectrograph. Thomson was awarded the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the conduction of electricity in gases.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Joseph%20John%20Thomson.jpgLisa Randall (b.1962)Lisa Randall HonFInstP is an American theoretical physicist and Frank B. Baird, Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University. Her research includes the fundamental forces of nature and dimensions of space. She studies the Standard Model, supersymmetry, possible solutions to the hierarchy problem concerning the relative weakness of gravity, cosmology of dimensions, baryogenesis, cosmological inflation, and dark matter. She contributed to the Randall–Sundrum model, first published in 1999 with Raman Sundrum.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Lisa%20Randall.jpgLise Meitner (1878-1968)Elise Meitner was a leading Austrian-Swedish physicist who discovered the radioactive isotope protactinium-231 in 1917. In 1938, Meitner and her nephew, the physicist Otto Robert Frisch, discovered nuclear fission. She was praised by Albert Einstein as the "German Marie Curie".https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Lise%20Meitner.jpgLord Kelvin (1824-1907)William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, was a British mathematician, mathematical physicist and engineer born in Belfast. Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Glasgow for 53 years, he did important work in the mathematical analysis of electricity and formulation of the first and second laws of thermodynamics, and did much to unify the emerging discipline of physics in its contemporary form. He received the Royal Society's Copley Medal in 1883, was its President 1890–1895, and in 1892 was the first British scientist to be elevated to the House of Lords.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Lord%20Kelvin.jpgLouis de Broglie (1892-1987)Louis Victor Pierre Raymond, 7th Duc de Broglie was a French physicist and aristocrat who made groundbreaking contributions to quantum theory. In his 1924 PhD thesis, he postulated the wave nature of electrons and suggested that all matter has wave properties. This concept is known as the de Broglie hypothesis, an example of wave–particle duality, and forms a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics. De Broglie won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1929, after the wave-like behaviour of matter was first experimentally demonstrated in 1927.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Louis%20de%20Broglie.jpgMaria Goeppert-Mayer (1906-1972)Maria Goeppert Mayer was a German-American theoretical physicist, and Nobel laureate in Physics for proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus. She was the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics. In 1986, the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award for early-career women physicists was established in her honor.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Maria%20Goeppert-Mayer.jpgMarie Curie (1867-1934)Marie Curie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person and the only woman to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Her husband, Pierre Curie, was a co-winner on her first Nobel Prize, making them the first ever married couple to win the Nobel Prize and launching the Curie family legacy of five Nobel Prizes. She was, in 1906, the first woman to become a professor at the University of Paris.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Marie%20Curie.jpgMax Planck (1858-1947)Planck was a German theoretical physicist whose discovery of energy quanta won him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918. He made many substantial contributions to theoretical physics, but his fame as a physicist rests primarily on his role as the originator of quantum theory, which revolutionized human understanding of atomic and subatomic processes. In 1948, the German scientific institution Kaiser Wilhelm Society (of which Planck was twice president) was renamed Max Planck Society.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Max%20Planck.jpgMichael Faraday (1791-1867)Michael Faraday was an English scientist who contributed to the study of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. His main discoveries include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism and electrolysis. He was one of the most influential scientists in history. It was by his research on the magnetic field around a conductor carrying a direct current that Faraday established the basis for the concept of the electromagnetic field in physics. Faraday also established that magnetism could affect rays of light and that there was an underlying relationship between the two phenomena. He similarly discovered the principles of electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and the laws of electrolysis. His inventions of electromagnetic rotary devices formed the foundation of electric motor technology, and it was largely due to his efforts that electricity became practical for use in technology.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Michael%20Faraday.jpgNicola Fox (b.1968)Nicola Fox was appointed Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in February 2023, she is therefore NASA's head of science. She previously served as the Director of NASA's Heliophysics Science Division of the Goddard Space Flight Center and in the Applied Physics Laboratory at the Johns Hopkins University. Fox was the lead scientist for the Parker Solar Probe and served as the Science and Operations Coordinator for the International Solar-Terrestrial Physics Science Initiative.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Nicola%20Fox.jpgNicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)Nicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance polymath, active as a mathematician, astronomer, and Catholic canon, who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than Earth at its centre. The publication of Copernicus's model in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, was a major event in the history of science, triggering the Copernican Revolution and making a pioneering contribution to the Scientific Revolution.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Nicolaus%20Copernicus.jpgNiels Bohr (1885-1962)Niels Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr was also a philosopher and a promoter of scientific research. He developed the Bohr model of the atom, in which he proposed that energy levels of electrons are discrete and that the electrons revolve in stable orbits around the atomic nucleus but can jump from one energy level (or orbit) to another. Although the Bohr model has been supplanted by other models, its underlying principles remain valid.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Niels%20Bohr.jpgNikola Tesla (1856-1943)Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor and researcher. He worked for Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse but preferred independent research. His inventions made possible the production and distribution of alternating-current electric power. He invented an induction coil that is still widely used in radio technology, the Tesla coil; his system was used by Westinghouse to light the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. Tesla established an electric power station at Niagara Falls that delivered power to Buffalo, N.Y., by 1896. His research also included work on a carbon button lamp and on the power of electrical resonance. He discovered terrestrial stationary waves, proving that Earth is a conductor.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Nikola%20Tesla.jpgPaul Dirac (1902-1984)Paul Dirac was an English theoretical physicist who is regarded as one of the most significant physicists of the 20th century. He made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics. Among other discoveries, he formulated the Dirac equation, which describes the behaviour of fermions and predicted the existence of antimatter. Dirac shared the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrödinger "for the discovery of new productive forms of atomic theory". He also made significant contributions to the reconciliation of general relativity with quantum mechanics.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Paul%20Dirac.jpgPeter Higgs (1929-2024)Peter Higgs was a British theoretical physicist, Emeritus Professor in the University of Edinburgh, and Nobel Prize laureate for his work on the mass of subatomic particles. The Higgs mechanism and the Higgs boson, first proposed in the 1960s, are generally accepted as important ingredients in the Standard Model of particle physics, without which certain particles would have no mass. On 4 July 2012, CERN announced the discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider, ultimately leading to his Nobel Prize, awarded in 2013.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Peter%20Higgs.jpgPieter Zeeman (1865-1943)In 1896, Dutch physicist Pieter Zeeman discovered that spectral lines can be split into several components in the presence of a static magnetic field. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1902 and the effect has become known as the "Zeeman Effect".https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Peter%20Zeeman.jpgRichard Feynman (1918-1988)Feynman was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as his work in particle physics. He received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga. He developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions describing the behaviour of subatomic particles, now known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime, Feynman became one of the best-known scientists in the world. In a 1999 poll of 130 leading physicists worldwide by the British journal Physics World, he was ranked the seventh-greatest physicist of all time.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Richard%20Feynamn.jpgSally Ride (1951-2012)Sally Ride was an American astronaut and physicist. Born in Los Angeles, Ride was a graduate of Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature in 1973, a Master of Science degree in 1975, and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1978 (both in physics) for research on the interaction of X-rays with the interstellar medium. She joined NASA in 1978, and in 1983 became the first American woman and the third woman to fly in space. She was the youngest American astronaut to have flown in space, having done so at the age of 32.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Sally%20Ride.jpgStephen Hawking (1942-2018)Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. In 1963, he was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that gradually, over the decades, paralysed him. He communicated through a speech-generating device initially through use of a handheld switch, and eventually by using a single cheek muscle. He achieved commercial success with several works of popular science in which he discussed his theories on black holes and cosmology in general. His book A Brief History of Time appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. He made frequent appearances in popular media, including Star Trek, The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Stephen%20Hawking.jpgSubrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910–1995)Chandrasekhar mathematically proved that there is a maximum mass a stable white dwarf star can have. If a dying star's remnant core is less than 1.4 solar masses, electron degeneracy pressure prevents it from collapsing further. If it exceeds this limit, gravity wins, forcing the star to collapse into a neutron star or black hole.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Subrahmanyan%20Chandrasekhar.jpgVera Rubin (1928-2016)Vera Rubin was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates. She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted and observed angular motion of galaxies by studying galactic rotation curves. Identifying the galaxy rotation problem, her work provided the first evidence for the existence of dark matter. These results were confirmed over subsequent decades.https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Vera%20Rubin.jpgWerner Heisenberg (1901-1976)Werner Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist and one of the key pioneers of quantum mechanics. He published his work in 1925 in a breakthrough paper. In the subsequent series of papers with Max Born and Pascual Jordan, during the same year, his matrix formulation of quantum mechanics was substantially elaborated. He is known for the uncertainty principle, which he published in 1927, and he was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the creation of quantum mechanics".https://feeds.sherborne.org/images/physics/physicists/img/Werner%20Heisenberg.jpg