On May 15, 2025, Stony Brook University announced that Barry Barish, a distinguished physicist and Nobel Laureate, has been elected to the American Philosophical Society (APS). Barish holds the President’s Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics at Stony Brook.
The APS is North America's oldest learned society, co-founded by Benjamin Franklin and John Bartram for promoting useful knowledge. It honors significant achievements across various fields including arts, business, and public service. Professor Barish is among the 38 new members elected this year. Since its inception in 1743, APS has elected only 5,854 members.
Barish joined Stony Brook in fall 2023. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017 for his role in detecting gravitational waves with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory experiment. This work confirmed Albert Einstein's predictions made a century earlier.
Chang Kee Jung, Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Stony Brook, remarked on Barish's achievement: “Of all the numerous accolades Barry received, this could be one of the coolest.” Jung highlighted that being part of APS places Barish alongside notable figures such as C.N. Yang.
In addition to his teaching duties at Stony Brook, Barish advises Professor Jung and contributes to enhancing research in gravitational astronomy. He also holds positions as Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics Emeritus at Caltech and Distinguished Professor at UC Riverside.
Stony Brook University serves as New York’s flagship public university within the State University of New York system. With over 26,000 students and more than 3,000 faculty members, it ranks highly among national universities according to U.S. News & World Report.
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