Frederick Seitz
- Born: July 4, 1911 (San Francisco, California)
- Died: March 2, 2008 (New York, New York)
Education
- 1932: AB, Stanford University (Mathematics)
- 1934: PhD, Princeton University (Physics)
Major Positions
- 1934–1935: Princeton University, Proctor Fellow
- 1935–1936: University of Rochester, Instructor in Physics
- 1936–1937: University of Rochester, Assistant Professor of Physics
- 1937–1939: General Electric Company, Research Physicist
- 1939–1941: University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Professor of Physics, Randal Morgan Laboratory of Physics
- 1941–1942: University of Pennsylvania, Associate Professor of Physics, Randal Morgan Laboratory of Physics
- 1942–1949: Carnegie Institute of Technology, Professor of Physics
- 1949–1965: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Research Professor of Physics
- 1964–1965: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Dean, Graduate College and Vice President, Research
- 1965–1969: National Academy of Sciences, President
- 1968–1978: Rockefeller University, President
- 1978–2008: Rockefeller University, President Emeritus
Other Positions
- 1941–1945: Office of Scientific Research and Development, Researcher, National Defense Research Committee
- 1945–1945: United States Department of War, Expert Consultant to the Secretary of War
- 1942–1949: Carnegie Institute of Technology, Head, Department of Physics
- 1946–1947: Oak Ridge Clinton Laboratories, Director, Training Program in Atomic Energy
- 1951–1952: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Director, Control Systems Laboratory
- 1952–1957: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Technical Director, Control Systems Laboratory
- 1957–1964: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Head, Department of Physics
- 1961–1961: American Physical Society, President
- 1962–1965: National Academy of Sciences, President
- 1962–1970: President's Science Advisory Committee (PSAC), Member
Selected Part-Time Positions
- 1954–1959: Chair, Governing Board, American Institute of Physics
- 1955–1971: Member, Naval Research Advisory Committee, Office of Naval Research, United States Navy
- 1958–1964: Member, Advisory Board, Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science, University of California, Berkeley
- 1958–1966: Member, Policy Advisory Board, Argonne National Laboratory
- 1958–1971: Member, Defense Science Board
- 1959–1960: Member, Science Advisory Board, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- 1960–1962: Chair, Naval Research Advisory Committee, Office of Naval Research, United States Navy
- 1960–1966: Vice President, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
- 1961–1965: Member, Advisory Board, Industrial College of the Armed Forces
- 1961–1966: Member, Board of Directors, American Machine and Foundry Company
- 1961–1967: Chair, United States National Committee, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics
- 1962–1966: Member, Statutory Visiting Committee, National Bureau of Standards
- 1962–1968: Member, Board of Trustees, Washington Center for Metropolitan Studies
- 1963–1969: Member, Board of Trustees, Southwest Center for Advanced Studies
- 1963–1970: Member, Liaison Committee for Science and Technology, Library of Congress
- 1963–1971: Member, Scientific Advisory Gruop, Office of Aerospace Research, United States Air Force
- 1964–1965: Member, Board of Trustees, Institute for Defense Analyses
- 1964–1966: Consultant, Education Commission of Inquiry, Ministry of Education, India
- 1964–1967: Chair, Science Advisory Council of Illinois, State of Illinois
- 1964–1968: Chair, Defense Science Board
- 1964–1969: Member, International Club of Washington
- 1964–1977: Member, Board of Trustees, Rockefeller Foundation
- 1965–1968: Chair, Midwest Science Advisory Committee
- 1965–1969: Vice President, Universities Research Association, Inc.
- 1965–1970: Member, National Selective Service Science Advisory Group, United States Selective Service System
- 1965–1971: Member, Board of Directors, Ampex Corporation
- 1965–1973: Member, Board of Directors, Volunteers for International Technical Assistance
- 1966–1969: Member, Advisory Council, Smithsonian Institution
- 1966–1969: Member, Committee on Science and Technology in Developing Countries, International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU)
- 1966–1969: Member, Panel of Advisers, Bureau of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs, United States Department of State
- 1966–1977: Member, Executive Committee, Rockefeller Foundation
- 1966–1978: Member, Board of Trustees, Rockefeller University
- 1967–1969: Community Member, Board of Trustees, Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area
- 1968–1972: Member, Board of Trustees, Princeton University
- 1968–1978: Member, Scientific Visiting Committee, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
- 1969–1971: Member, Board of Directors, Oak Ridge Associated Universities
- 1969–1971: Member, Board of Directors, United Aircraft Corporation
- 1969–1972: Member, Council, Universities Space Research Association, Inc.
- 1970–1973: Chair, Committee on Physics and Society, American Institute of Physics
- 1971–1972: Chair, Council, Universities Space Research Association, Inc.
- 1971–1974: Member, Executive Committee, Institute for the Future
- 1971–1975: Member, Advisory Council for the Advancement of Industrial Research and Development, State of New York
- 1971–1977: Member, Council, Stanford Research Institute
- 1972–1973: Member, Committee on Membership, Class I (Mathematical and Physical Sciences), American Philosophical Society
- 1972–1974: Member, National Cancer Advisory Board
- 1972–1975: Member, Committee on Research, American Philosophical Society
- 1973–1977: Chair, Space Program Advisory Council, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- 1973–1978: Chair, United States Delegation, Committee on Science and Technology for Development, Economic and Social Council, United Nations
- 1974–1974: Chair, Council of Presidents, Universities Research Association, Inc.
- 1975–1977: Member, Solar Energy Research Institute Committee, United States Energy Research and Development Administration
- 1975–1977: Member, Advisory Board, Assembly of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Office of Physical Sciences, National Research Council
- 1975–1980: Member, Board of Directors, Universal Movement of Scientific Responsibility
- 1975–1981: Chair, Advisory Committee, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University
- 1976–1979: Member, Board of Overseers, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
- 1977–1979: Vice Chair, Board of Directors, International Health Resource Consortium
- 1978–1980: Chair, Board of Overseers, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
- 1978–1988: Member, Medical Research Committee, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
- 1980–1983: Vice Chair, Board of Overseers, Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
Selected Awards and Honors
Archival Resources
Rockefeller Archive Center, North Tarrytown, New York
University of Illinois Archives, Urbana, Illinois
Online Finding Aid
Oral History Interviews
- 1981: Available Online
- 1982: Available Online
Resources on the Web
Published Resources
Charles P. Slichter, "Frederick Seitz: 1911-2008", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences
Frederick Seitz, On the Frontier: My Life in Science (Woodbury, NY: American Institute of Physics, 1994)
