Jerome Isaac Friedman is a distinguished American physicist renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to subatomic particle research. He currently holds the prestigious title of Institute Professor Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he spent the majority of his illustrious academic career. Born on March 28, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to Russian immigrant parents from Russia, Friedman demonstrated early academic promise that led him to the University of Chicago for his undergraduate and doctoral studies. He earned his Bachelor's degree in 1950 and completed his Ph.D. in Physics in 1956, establishing the foundation for his future experimental work in high-energy physics. Friedman joined the MIT faculty in 1960, progressing to full professor in 1967 and serving as head of the physics department from 1983 to 1988 before being named Institute Professor.
Friedman's most significant scientific achievement came through his pioneering experiments on deep inelastic scattering of electrons on protons and neutrons, conducted between 1967 and 1973 at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. Working collaboratively with Henry W. Kendall and Richard E. Taylor, he provided the first experimental evidence that protons and neutrons possess internal structure, later identified as quarks. This revolutionary work fundamentally transformed particle physics by offering direct experimental confirmation of the theoretical quark model, which had previously lacked empirical evidence. For these contributions, which proved essential to the development of the standard model of particle physics, Friedman, Kendall, and Taylor were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990. Their experimental approach of using high-energy electron beams to probe nucleon structure established new methodologies that continue to influence experimental particle physics.
Beyond his Nobel Prize-winning research, Friedman has made enduring contributions to the scientific community through leadership roles and ongoing scholarly engagement. He served as Director of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science at MIT from 1980 to 1983 and chaired the Science Policy Committee for the Superconducting Super Collider project from 1989 to 1993. Recognized with numerous honors including membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, Friedman continues to influence the field through his emeritus position at MIT. His experimental work remains foundational to contemporary particle physics research, and he serves on the board of sponsors for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to scientific responsibility and public engagement with complex scientific issues. The legacy of his quark structure discovery continues to shape our fundamental understanding of matter's building blocks across the global physics community.
