Peter Debye
- Born: March 24, 1884 (Maastricht, Netherlands)
- Died: November 2, 1966 (Ithaca, New York)
Education
- 1905: Dipl. Ing., Aachen Technische Hochschule
- 1908: EE and PhD, University of Munich
Major Positions
- 1906–1910: University of Munich, Lecturer
- 1911–1912: University of Zurich, Professor of Theoretical Physics
- 1912–1914: University of Utrecht, Professor of Theoretical Physics
- 1914–1920: University of Göttingen, Professor of Theoretical Physics
- 1920–1927: Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zurich, Principal and Professor of Physics
- 1927–1934: University of Leipzig, Professor of Physics and Director of the Physical Institute
- 1934–1939: Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics, Berlin, Director
- 1934–1940: University of Berlin, Professor of Physics
- 1940–1952: Cornell University, Professor of Chemistry
- 1952–1966: Cornell University, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry
Other Positions
- 1915–1940: Physikalische Zeitschrift, Editor
- 1940–1952: Cornell University, Chair, Department of Chemistry
Selected Awards and Honors
- 1936: Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- 1947: National Academy of Sciences, Member
- 1965: American Physical Society, Polymer Physics Prize
- 1965: National Medal of Science
Archival Resources
Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Archive of the Max Planck Society, Berlin, Germany
Private owners, Maastricht, Netherlands
Oral History Interviews
- 1962: Available Online
- 1965: Cornell University Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Resources on the Web
Published Resources
J. W. Williams, "Peter Joseph Wilhelm Debye: 1884-1966", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences
Horst Kant, "Peter Debye und die Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft," in Naturwissenschaften und Technik in der Geschichte, ed. Dieter Hoffmann, Fabio Bevilacqua, and Roger H. Stuewer (Stuttgart: Verlag für Geschichte der Naturwissenschaften und Technik: 1993), 161-177
Eric Courtens, "Peter Debye: A Life for Science," in Great Solid State Physicists of the 20th Century, ed. Julio A. Gonzalo and Carmen Aragó López (Singapore: World Scientific: 2003), 131-147
Mansel Davies, "Peter Joseph Wilhelm Debye (1884-1966)," in Great Solid State Physicists of the 20th Century, ed. Julio A. Gonzalo and Carmen Aragó López (Singapore: World Scientific: 2003), 148-221
Dieter Hoffmann, "Peter Debye (1884-1966): Ein Typischer Wissenschaftler in Untypischer Zeit," Gewina 29 (2006): 141-168
Jurrie Reiding, "Peter Debye: Nazi Collaborator or Secret Opponent?," Ambix 57 (2010): 275-300
