Frank N. von Hippel
Basic Info
- Full Name: Frank N. von Hippel
- Title: Senior Research Physicist & Professor Emeritus of Public and International Affairs
- Affiliation: Princeton University, co-founder of Program on Science and Global Security (SGS)
- Age: ~88-89 (as of 2026)
- Princeton page: https://sgs.princeton.edu/team/frank-von-hippel
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_N._von_Hippel
Why He’s a Titan
Top authority in nuclear security and nonproliferation with a five-decade career bridging theoretical physics and highest-level policymaking:
- White House: Assistant Director for National Security, Office of Science and Technology Policy (1993-1995)
- Cold War leadership: Chaired Federation of American Scientists in 1980s, collaborated with Soviet scientist Velikhov to advise Gorbachev on nuclear arms reduction
- Scholarship: Co-authored “Unmaking the Bomb” (MIT Press, 2014), published extensively in Science, Nature, Scientific American, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- Policy impact: ending HEU production, securing Russian nuclear materials, eliminating weapons-grade uranium from civilian reactors
Awards
- MacArthur Fellowship (1993, “Genius Grant”)
- American Physical Society Fellow (1983)
- Leo Szilard Lectureship Award (2010)
Connection to Zhenyu
At the Princeton SGS 2024 School, Zhenyu presented to leading nuclear security experts including von Hippel. The photo captures Zhenyu presenting alongside von Hippel and other SGS experts.