Scott Tremaine headshot

Scott Tremaine

Professor Emeritus
School of Natural Sciences

Astrophysics

Affiliation

Natural Sciences

Home Institution

Institute for Advanced Study

Scott Tremaine has made seminal contributions to understanding the formation and evolution of planetary systems, comets, black holes, star clusters, galaxies, and galaxy systems. He predicted the Kuiper belt of comets beyond Neptune and, with Peter Goldreich, the existence of shepherd satellites and density waves in Saturn’s ring system, as well as the phenomenon of planetary migration. He interpreted double-nuclei galaxies, such as the nearby Andromeda galaxy, as eccentric stellar disks, and elucidated the role of dynamical friction in galaxy evolution.

Dates at IAS

Emeritus
School of Natural Sciences
Faculty
School of Natural Sciences
Member
School of Natural Sciences
Fall
Visitor
School of Natural Sciences
Spring
Visitor
School of Natural Sciences
Member
School of Natural Sciences
Fall
Member
School of Natural Sciences

Degrees

Princeton University
Ph.D.
1975
Princeton University
M.A.
1973
McMaster University
B.Sc.
1971

Honors

Awards: 2020 Henry Norris Russell Lectureship, American Astronomical Society; Tomalla Foundation for Gravity Research, Tomalla Prize 2013; American Astronomical Society, Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics 1997, Dirk Brouwer Award 1997; Royal Society of Canada, Rutherford Medal in Physics 1990
Honorary Degrees: University of Toronto, Honorary Doctorate of Science 2010; St. Mary’s University, Honorary Doctorate of Science 1999; McMaster University, Honorary Doctorate of Science 1996
Memberships: American Astronomical Society; National Academy of Sciences; Royal Society of Canada; Royal Society of London

Appointments

Princeton University
1997
Emeritus 2007–current, Charles A. Young Professor 2002–06, Chair, Department of Astrophysical Sciences 1998–2006, Professor 1997–2002
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
1996–2002
Director, Program in Cosmology and Gravity
University of Toronto
1985–1997
University Professor 1995–97, Director, Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics 1985–96, Professor 1985–95
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
1981–1985
Associate Professor
Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge,
1977–1978
Research Associate
California Institute of Technology
1975–1977
Research Fellow