Director

Princeton Mayor Mark Freda and IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg discuss the Institute's distinctive strengths, the continuing legacy of J. Robert Oppenheimer and other key figures from IAS history, and how the institution plays a role in making the small town of Princeton "punch far above its weight in terms of its intellectual place in the world."

IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg "walks in Oppenheimer’s shoes." In an interview with NJ.com, he discusses how, in the current age of AI, the role for the Institute that Oppenheimer helped to carve out is needed "as much as ever."

IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg discusses how, after helping invent the atomic bomb, past Director J. Robert Oppenheimer spent decades thinking about how to preserve civilization from technological dangers, offering crucial lessons for the age of AI.

On May 18, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kai Bird joined IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg to discuss the complex legacy of past IAS Director J. Robert Oppenheimer and reflect on the emotional impact of Christopher Nolan's upcoming film.

"For three days last April, the Institute for Advanced Study resembled its 1950s self. Actors wearing mid-century-appropriate clothing were spotted in and around Fuld Hall and Olden Manor, shooting scenes for a feature film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, famed theoretical physicist and Institute director from 1947 to 1966."

By David Nirenberg, Director and Leon Levy Professor: 

"What counts as antisemitism? Is it on the rise, and if so, who’s to blame—the left or the right, Christians or Muslims? Or is it “the Jews” and their actions that are at fault, as some maintain. These questions may feel new, but the resurgence of antisemitism didn’t begin in 2022, and it’s not only happening in the U.S."

By David Nirenberg, Director and Leon Levy Professor: 

"Unlike his much more famous colleague Albert Einstein, John von Neumann is not a household name these days, but his discoveries shape the possibilities of life for every creature on this planet."

"This past September, 281 new and returning scholars and Faculty gathered for a new term welcome at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) in Princeton."

"David Nirenberg sees connections everywhere. As a professor of medieval history, he charted the relatedness of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic thought in different eras. As a dean at the University of Chicago Divinity School, he championed a program to promote collaborative ideas across the university."