Dr. Steven Chu stands as a preeminent physicist whose distinguished career spans academia, government leadership, and groundbreaking scientific discovery. He currently holds the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professorship in Physics, Molecular and Cellular Physiology, and Energy Science and Engineering at Stanford University, where his interdisciplinary work bridges fundamental physics and practical applications. Born on February 28, 1948, in St. Louis, Missouri, he earned dual bachelor's degrees in mathematics and physics from the University of Rochester in 1970 before completing his PhD in physics at the University of California, Berkeley in 1976. His early career at Bell Laboratories established him as a rising star in atomic physics, where he pioneered innovative techniques that would later earn him the Nobel Prize.
Dr. Chu's most transformative contribution came through his development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light, for which he shared the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics with two colleagues. His research demonstrated how laser light from multiple directions could slow atoms to extremely low temperatures, enabling unprecedented precision in atomic measurements and leading to innovations such as the atomic fountain clock and atom interferometers. Beyond his Nobel-winning work, Chu applied optical techniques to biological systems, developing optical tweezers to manipulate individual DNA molecules and discovering molecular individualism in polymer dynamics. These advances not only revolutionized atomic physics but also created entirely new research avenues across multiple scientific disciplines.
Beyond his laboratory achievements, Dr. Chu has profoundly influenced science policy as the U.S. Secretary of Energy from 2009 to 2013, where he established critical initiatives including ARPA-E and the Energy Innovation Hubs to accelerate clean energy research. Returning to Stanford, he continues to lead research at the intersection of biophysics, biomedicine, and sustainable energy systems while advocating vigorously for renewable energy and nuclear power as essential components of climate change mitigation. His conceptualization of a global glucose economy as a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels exemplifies his visionary approach to addressing humanity's most pressing energy challenges. As a vocal proponent of scientific solutions to climate change and recipient of numerous prestigious honors including the Gordon Moore Lifetime Innovation Award, Dr. Chu remains actively engaged in shaping both the scientific landscape and policy decisions that will determine our energy future.
