Ernst Stueckelberg

Born on 1 February 1905 in Basel, Switzerland, Ernst Stueckelberg was a theoretical physicist who is often overlooked for his many achievements. Stueckelberg studied physics at the University of Basel. After receiving his PhD in 1927, he traveled to the US to study at Princeton University, where he became an assistant professor in 1930. In 1935 Stueckelberg became a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Geneva, where he would remain until he retired in 1975. Over his career, Stueckelberg performed groundbreaking research in many branches of physics, including field theory, molecular spectroscopy, relativity, particle physics, and thermodynamics. His contributions include a 1934 paper on high-energy collision phenomena between electrons and nuclei and the invention of the renormalization group in quantum field theory. Although Stueckelberg received a number of honors, including the Max Planck medal of the German Physical Society, the Nobel Prize eluded him, despite the fact that several were awarded for work to which he had contributed. (Photo credit: AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives)

Date in History: 1 February 1905