Princeton boasts a large and high-powered faculty worthy of its reputation as one of the best in the nation.
These famous scholars, unlike their research-oriented counterparts at other Ivy League schools, often teach undergraduate courses — maybe even yours.
Nobel Prizes
In the past few years, Princeton has consistently produced Nobel Prize winners in various departments.
Psychology professor Daniel Kahneman took a Nobel last October for his research in behavior. It was the second time that a Nobel Prize in economics was won by a Princeton researcher outside of economics — John Nash GS '50 being the first. Kahneman teaches PSY 101 and an upper-level course in the Wilson School.
Electrical Engineering professor Daniel Tsui won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1999 for his discovery of the fractional quantum Hall effect.
Molecular biology professor Eric Wieschaus shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1995 with two other researchers for their work on fruitfly genetics.
In 1994, Nash, the mathematician who was the subject of the 2001 film "A Beautiful Mind," shared the Nobel Prize for Economics with two research teammates for their work on game theory.
Creative writing professor Toni Morrison, physics professor Joseph Taylor and researcher Russell Hulse, who works at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, all won Nobels in 1993.
Morrison, who also won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel "Beloved," coordinates the Princeton Atelier, a program that gives undergraduates a chance to collaborate with famous professionals in the creative world such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Physics professor Val Fitch won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1980 for his discoveries about high-energy subatomic particles.
Philip Anderson GS '53, also a professor in the physics department, received a Nobel in 1977 for his work in magnetic and disordered systems.
Dollars and sense
Several eminent economists also hang their hats at Princeton.
Famed economist Paul Krugman joined the faculty several years ago from MIT. Krugman, an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times, is one of academia's better-known liberal economists.
Uwe Reinhardt, who has a joint appointment to the economics department and the Wilson School, is one of the nation's foremost authorities on healthcare policy. He turned down an offer to be a member of President Clinton's health care reform team in the spring of 1993.
Reinhardt has taught introductory economics and accounting in past years. Both have been very popular courses for those hoping to pursue careers in finance and public policy.
Economics professor Harvey Rosen will be nominated to take a seat on the Bush administration's Council of Economic Advisers, the White House announced in April.
Ben Bernanke, the previous chair of the economics department, was named to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors last year. A survey of economic forecasters named Bernanke a possible successor to chairman Alan Greenspan, who will be 78 when his term expires in 2004.
Words, words, words
In addition to Morrison, the Program in Creative Writing boasts the talents of critically acclaimed and prolific author Joyce Carol Oates.
Humanities professor Paul Muldoon received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in April for his collection of works, "Moy Sand and Gravel."
In 1995 he won the T.S. Eliot Prize for poetry.
Creative writing professor C.K. Williams won the Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for his poetry collection, "Repair."
Aside from the highly publicized recruitment of former Harvard professor Cornel West GS '80 last spring, the African American Studies program boasts a renowned faculty. Harvard professor K. Anthony Appiah and Bowdoin professor Eddie Glaude GS '97 were also appointed last year.
Appiah specializes in moral and political philosophy as well as African-American studies. Glaude, who was a student of West at Princeton a little more than a decade ago, concentrates on religious studies within African-American history.
In the past few years, author and New Yorker staff writer John McPhee '53 has taught HUM 440: Literature of Fact. He won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize in creative nonfiction for his book "Annals of the Former World."
In the arena of international politics, Michael O'Hanlon '82 will teach "National Security Policy," an upper-level Wilson School course.
O'Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, where he researches international relations.
Famous constitutional expert Robert George teaches the popular course POL 315: Constitutional Interpretation.
George is a member of President Bush's Council on Bioethics.
In the history department, James McPherson was awarded a Pulitzer Prize a year ago for his book "Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War." He was also named the 2000 Jefferson Lecturer for the Humanities.
Controversial bioethics professor Peter Singer will teach CHV 528/PHI 528: Bioethics this fall, which will focus on why killing is wrong, differences between killing humans and animals, the use of embryos for stem cells, euthanasia, and capital punishment, among other topics.
Singer gained notoriety for his book, "Practical Ethics," and is considered the intellectual father of the animal rights movement.
Princeton is also home to one of the finest mathematics programs in the country. Professor Charles Fefferman '69 is a recipient of the Field Medal, the highest award given by the National Science Foundation. Professor John Conway is famous for his "game of life" and Professor Andrew Wiles for solving Fermat's Last Theorem.
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