Steven Weinberg was born on May 3, 1933, in New York City, United States. He was born under the zodiac sign Taurus. His father, Frederick Weinberg, and his mother, Eva Weinberg, were Jewish. Steven attended the Bronx High School of Science and went on to study at Cornell University. He pursued further research at the Niels Bohr Institute and earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1957.
Weinberg began his research career in 1957 at Columbia University, where he worked for two years before moving to the University of California. His early work focused on quantum theory, with significant contributions to topics such as infrared photons, quantum gravity, and symmetry breaking. Many of his research papers were widely published and influential within the field of theoretical physics.
Steven Weinberg is best known for his work on the Electroweak Unification Theory, which helped to explain the unification of the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force. This theoretical framework played a pivotal role in the later discovery of the Higgs boson. Following this, he developed another theory named Technicolor, which sought to explain the mechanism of electroweak symmetry breaking without the need for a fundamental Higgs boson. Though Technicolor has not been confirmed experimentally, it was an influential concept in particle physics.
In 1982, Weinberg joined the University of Texas at Austin, where he continued his significant contributions to physics. He also discussed broader scientific metrics such as the h-index. Weinberg was recognized for his advocacy for large-scale physics research projects. Notably, he supported the establishment of CERN and the development of the Large Hadron Collider during a period when such initiatives faced skepticism and funding challenges. Due to his public defense of science and scientific research funding, he was often described as a passionate advocate for science.
| Birth Date: | 3 May, 1933 |
| Age: | 87 yrs |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | New York City |
| residence: | Austin |
| Gender: | Male |
| Description: | American theoretical physicist |
| Spouse: | Louise Weinberg [M. 1954] |
| Net Worth 2021: | 700 thousand |