Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein, one of the Institute’s first Professors, serving from 1933 until his death in 1955, played a significant part in the Institute's early development. While at IAS, Einstein pursued the goal of a unified field theory, at a time when the idea had been set aside by the majority of working physicists. In recent years, this has again become a central goal of physicists, and string theory has become the favored candidate for a unified understanding of the basic laws of the physical universe.

Of Historical Note: More Light

Abraham Flexner

The Institute Letter Fall 2007

The following text, from founding Director Abraham Flexner’s announcement of the appointment of Albert Einstein to the Institute's inaugural Faculty, was published in the New York Times on October 16, 1932.

More Light

Over a hundred years have passed...

Mathematics

Algebraic Geometry: The Interface with and Influence of Physics

Kelly Devine Thomas

The Institute Letter Spring 2007

On the occasion of the 1993 dedication of Simonyi Hall, Phillip Griffiths, then-Director of the Institute, spoke on “Mathematics—From Servant to Partner” in which he described how the relationship between mathematics and other disciplines had...

Historical Studies

More Than Meets The Eye

A book by Irving Lavin

Art historian Marilyn Aronberg Lavin has assembled, edited, and updated a series of six lectures delivered by her late husband Irving Lavin, Faculty in the School of Historical Studies (1973–2019), to create a comprehensive collection of richly illustrated essays.