Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is a renowned physicist, the former head of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and a former president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). She is known for her research in the fields of theoretical and quantum physics, which paved the way for developments in fiber optics, solar cells, fax machines, and more.

Dr. Jackson was born in Washington, DC, later attending college at MIT where she studied theoretical physics. She was motivated to continue her post-graduate studies there, hoping to encourage more Black students to attend the institution. In 1973, she became the first Black woman to earn a doctorate degree from MIT (where she received her Ph.D. in nuclear physics) and the second Black woman in the nation to receive a doctoral degree in physics.

Later, Dr. Jackson joined the Theoretical Physics Research Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories where she studied materials for use in the semiconductor industry. As her career progressed, her research broadened to include “electronic, optical, magnetic, and transport properties of novel semiconductor systems.” Her subatomic particle research at Bell Laboratories focused on the reactions of neutrinos, as well as the polaronic aspects of electrons in two-dimensional systems. Dr. Jackson’s work during this time is widely credited as providing the scientific framework for later inventions in telecommunications such as caller ID, call waiting, and advancements in fiber optics.

In 1995, Dr. Jackson was appointed as chairman of the NRC by President Bill Clinton, the first Black American and first woman to ever hold the position. She continued to be a pioneer in the world of physics, becoming the first Black person to ever serve as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a renowned research university. Her work at RFP focused on increasing funding for research in fields like computational science and engineering, life sciences, nanotechnology, and energy, among others. She held the position for 23 years before retiring.

Unsurprisingly, Dr. Jackson’s research and advocacy for women and minorities in the sciences has been recognized in many ways. In 1998, she was inducted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2009, Dr. Jackson was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, which she did until 2014. In 2016, she was awarded the National Medal of Science, which many consider the nation’s highest honor in science and engineering. A decades-long advocate for minorities in these fields, Dr. Jackson serves as an example of how much of the work that makes revolutionary inventions possible happens in laboratories first, often behind the scenes.

Shirley Ann Jackson Bio: https://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/physics/jackson_shirleya.html

Author: Hannah Mosby O’Brien