Steven Chu Professor, Physics and Applied Physics -- On Extended  Leave from Stanford Faculty As of August 1, 2004: Director of LBNL (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab)   Email: schu@stanford.edu Stanford Admin Staff: Ping Feng, room 232, phone: 723-9555 Stanford Chu Group web site Research Interests Atomic Physics: We are continuing to develop new methods of laser cooling and trapping and to apply those methods in a variety of problems. Examples of applications include the use of an atom interferometer to measure the fine structure constant to unprecedented accuracy, the use Bose condensates in optical lattices to study many body effects related to condensed matter systems. Biological Physics: We apply single molecule techniques such as fluorescence resonance energy transfer, atomic force microscopy and optical tweezers, we study enzyme activity, and protein and RNA folding at the single bio-molecule level. Systems being studied include how the ribosome reads m-RNA and manufactures proteins, how vesicles fuse into the cell wall at the synapse of neurons, how cells adhere to each other via adhesive molecules, and how RNA molecules fold into active enzymes. Polymer physics: We study polymer dynamics and phase transitions associated with these dynamics using individual molecules of DNA as model polymers. Experimental Atomic Physics  Quantum Electronics  Laser Physics  Biophysics  Polymer Physics  Career History  Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor of Physics and Applied Physics  A.B. and B.S., 1970, University of Rochester  Ph.D., 1976, University of California at Berkeley  Postdoctoral Fellow, U.C. Berkeley, 1976-78  Member, Technical Staff, AT&T, 1978-83  Head of Quantum Electronic Dept., AT&T Bell Laboratories, 1983-87  Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Stanford University, 1987-present  Morris Loeb Lecturer, 1988  Special Visitor to JILA, 1989, 1999  Visiting Professor, College de France, 1990  Awards  Fellow of the American Physical Society, 1987  Fellow of the Optical Society of America, 1990  Am. Phys. Soc., Broida Prize for Laser Spectroscopy, 1987  APS/AAPT Richtmyer Memorial Prize Lecture, 1990  Co-winner of the King Faisal International Prize for Science, 1993  Am. Phys. Soc., Arthur Schawlow Prize for Laser Science, 1994  Opt. Soc. Am., William F. Meggers Award for Spectroscopy, 1994  Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1992  Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 1993  Member of the Academia Sinica, 1994  Science for art Prize and Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, 1995  Guggenhein fellow, 1996  Co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physics, 1997  Member of the American Philosophical Society, 1998 Chinese Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member,1998 Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology, Foreign member, 1998 Students:  Chiow Sheng-Wey Nate Gemelke Seokchan Hong David Hsieh (undergraduate) Harold Kim Edina Sarajlic Charles Schroeder Rodrigo Teixeira Yunxiang Zhang Wei Zhao Post-Docs: Scott Blanchard Chang, Wei-Hau John Choy Bianxiao Cui Wen-Tau Juan Lisa Lapidus Long, Quan Alexandros Pertsinidis Sanjeevi Sivasankar Keith Weninger   Suggestions, corrections, or comments about this website? Contact the webmaster with our comment form

STEVEN CHU
 Theodore and Francis Geballe Professor of Physics and Applied Physics
 Physics Department, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305-4060

Education:
 A.B.,  Mathematics, University of Rochester, 1970
 B.S.,  Physics, University of Rochester, 1970
 Ph.D., Physics, University of California, Berkeley, 1976

Employment:
 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of California at Berkeley, 1976-1978
 Member of Technical Staff, Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, 1978-1983
 Head, Quantum Electronics Research Department, AT&T Bell Laboratories,        Holmdel, 1983-1987
 Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, Stanford University, 1987-present
 Theodore and Frances Geballe Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, 1990
 Former Chair of the Physics Dept., Stanford Univ., 1990-1993, 1999-2001

Visiting Lectureships:
 Morris Loeb Lecturer, Harvard University, 1988
 Special Visitor to JILA, 1989, 1999
 Visiting Professor, Collège de France, 1990

Scientific Interests and current areas of research:
 Parity non-conservation in atoms
 Excitons, energy transfer in solids and Anderson localization
 Picosecond spectroscopy
 Positronium and muonium spectroscopy
 Laser cooling and trapping of atoms, atom interferometry
 Polymer physics
 Biophysics

Honors:
 Stoddard Prize in Mathematics, Univ. of Rochester, 1968
 Phi Beta Kappa, 1969
 Stoddard Prize in Physics, Univ. of Rochester, 1970
 Woodrow Wilson Fellow, 1970
 National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellow, 1970-74
 National Science Postdoctoral Fellow, 1977-78
 Broida Prize for Laser Spectroscopy, (Am. Phys. Soc.) 1987
 Richtmyer Memorial Prize Lecturer (Am. Phys. Soc./Am Assoc. Phys.Teachers) 1990
 Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1992
 King Faisal International Prize for Science, 1993
 Member, National Academy of Sciences, 1993
 Member, Academica Sinica, 1994
 Arthur Schawlow Prize for Laser Science, (Am. Phys. Soc.) 1994
 William F. Meggers Award for Spectroscopy, (Opt. Soc. of Am.) 1994
 Distinguished Traveling Lecturer, Am. Phys. Soc. Division of Laser Science, 1994-96
 Humboldt Senior Scientist Award, 1995
 Science for Art Prize (Sponsored by LVMH), 1995
 Guggenheim Fellowship, 1996
 Nobel Prize in Physics, 1997
 Member of the American Philosophical Society, 1998
 Chinese Academy of Sciences, Foreign Member,1998
 Korean Academy of Sciences and Technology, Foreign member, 1998
 
Partial List of Professional Service:
 Chair, Am. Phys. Soc. Division of Laser Science, 1989-90
 Associate Editor, Optics Letters, 1989-96
 Member of the NSF Physics Advisory Committee, 1990-93
 Member of the NAS Committee on Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics,
  1992-94
 Quantum Electronics Representative of the Int. Union of Pure and Applied Scientists,
  1993-95
 Member, NAS study on "Free Electron Lasers", 1993-94
 Member, NAS study on "Optical Science and Engineering", 1995-96
 Member, Executive Committee, NAS Board on Physics and Astronomy, 1996-99
 Editorial board member, Biophysical Journal, 1998-present
 Member, NIH Advisory Committee to the Director, 1999-present
 

Partial List of Stanford University Service:
 Appointments and Promotions Committee, School of Humanities and Sciences,
  1989-90, 1995-96
 Cabinet Committee on Budget and Strategic Planning, 1990-92
 Presidential Search Committee, 1991-92
 School of Humanities and Sciences Academic Council, 1993-present
 Academic Senate, 1993-94, 1995-98
 Provostial Committee on the Recruitment and Retention of Women, 1992-94
 Member of Committee on Committees, 1993-94, 1997-98
Executive member of Bio-X planning committee, 1998-present

Other Activities:
 Chair of the Physics Dept. Visiting Committee, Ecole Normale Superieur, 1999
 Chair of the Physics Dept. Visiting Committee, Harvard University, 1999
 Board of Trustees member, University of Rochester
 Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of SEQ, LTD (Biotech company)
 Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Cell Robotics (Biotech company)
 Visiting Committee, Physics Department, Harvard University,
  1992, 1995
 Visiting Committee, Physics Department, Yale University, 1996.