Joseph H. Taylor

Bio/Description

Joseph H. Taylor (1941-) served as Princeton’s 13th dean of the faculty from 1997 to 2003. The 1993 Nobel Prize winner in physics spent over two decades as a Princeton faculty member, leaving a lasting legacy as an administrator and in the University’s astrophysics department.

Taylor received a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Haverford College in 1963 and a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard University in 1968. After spending a year as a Harvard postdoc, Taylor joined the University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty, eventually becoming professor of astronomy and associate director of the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory.

In 1980, Taylor joined Princeton’s physics department, and in 1986, he was named the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Physics. During his time at Princeton, Taylor became known as an excellent undergraduate teacher and a superb mentor to graduate students and other junior colleagues in his group, many of whom have gone on to their own innovative scientific careers.

In 1992, Taylor won the prestigious Wolf Prize for his fundamental contributions to radio astronomy and experimental relativity. One year later, he was awarded the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics for experimental tests of general relativity. He shared the award with his graduate advisee and later Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory researcher Russell Hulse.

During Taylor’s six-year tenure as dean, he worked to ensure that Princeton remained at the forefront of teaching and research in all departments. Though only tasked with a five-year term, Taylor held the deanship for an extra year to assist Shirley M. Tilghman in her early time as University president. He noted his interactions with faculty across all departments as a highlight of his time as dean.

Following his deanship, Taylor returned to full-time teaching in the physics department. He transferred to emeritus status in 2006.

Beyond his Princeton service, Taylor served on many committees, notably a blue-ribbon panel to assess the options for extending the life of the Hubble Space Telescope. He also served as co-chair of a decadal panel establishing the country’s national priorities in astronomy and astrophysics in the 2000s.

Written by Shane B. Black for the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.