• James S. McDonnell Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences, Physics
• Faculty fellow, McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences

Will

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• Ph.D. in physics at California Institute of Technology
• B.Sc. in applied mathematics and theoretical physics at McMaster University

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New twist on 40-year-old discovery A Newtonian system that mimics the baldness of rotating black holes Feb. 23, 2009 -- Photo by Don Davis Rotating black hole: one of nature's most perfect objects Download A physicist at Washington University in St. Louis has found a new twist on a 40-year-old discovery — "the Carter constant" — about the motion of particles in the external field of a rotating black hole. Clifford M. Will, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences, has shown that even in Newton's gravity, arrangements of masses exist whose gravitational field also admits a Carter-like constant of motion. The finding has implications for gravitational-wave astronomy, he says.

Prestigious honor Three faculty members elected to National Academy of Sciences May 3, 2007 -- Three Washington University scientists are among the 72 members and 18 foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Election to the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer.

Randall unravels multi-dimensional universe Harvard physicist Lisa Randall unravels a multi-dimensional universe in Assembly Series lecture Jan. 29, 2007 -- Harvard physicist Lisa Randall explains how our visible world of four dimensions could be embedded in a higher-dimensional universe at the Assembly Series at 11 a.m. on Feb. 7 in Graham Chapel.

Cliff Will feted on 60th Gravitational physics focus of weekend events honoring Einstein expert Nov. 10, 2006 -- In conjunction with Einstein expert Clifford Will's 60th birthday, the Gravity Group in Arts & Sciences' physics department at Washington University in St. Louis is hosting the 16th Midwest Relativity Meeting (MWRM-16) Nov. 17-18 as well as the CliffFest Dinner Nov. 18 and the Cliff Will Birthday Symposium on Gravitational Theory and Experiment Nov. 19. The three events are expected to bring more than 200 physicists from around the country and the world to campus.

Einstein expert Washington University names Clifford Will its McDonnell Professor of Physics Dec. 9, 2005 -- Will Download Clifford M. Will, Ph.D., has been named the James S. McDonnell Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, announced Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor, dean of Arts & Sciences and the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences. Will is known worldwide as one of the leading experts in using experimental and observational data to explain Einstein's general theory of relativity.

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40-year Mystery Revisited: Newtonian System Mimics 'Baldness' of Rotating Black Holes ScienceDaily.com and 4 others Feb. 24, 2009 -- WUSTL physics professor Clifford Will explains his research on an old mystery that will have implications for gravitational-wave astronomy. His article appeared in the Feb. 12 issue of Physical Review Letters.

Albert Einstein Saw The Light Investor's Business Daily Sept. 18, 2008 -- WUSTL physics professor Clifford Will comments on Albert Einstein's methods of thinking, his development and his contributions to science and daily life.

He has published more than 160 scientific articles or abstracts, including 13 major review articles, 23 popular or semi-popular articles, and two books, "Theory and Experiment in Gravitational Physics" (Cambridge University Press, 1981; 2nd Edition, 1993), and "Was Einstein Right?" (Basic Books, 1986; 2nd Edition, 1993).

The latter book won the 1987 American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award, was selected one of the 200 best books for 1986 by The New York Times Book Review, and has undergone translation into French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Korean, Greek, Persian and Chinese.

Will received his bachelor's degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics from McMaster University in 1968, followed three years later by a doctorate in physics from the California Institute of Technology. After graduation, he joined the University of Chicago as an Enrico Fermi Fellow for two years before joining the physics faculty at Stanford.

Will came to Washington University in 1981 as associate professor of physics and became a full professor in 1985. He served two consecutive five-year terms, from 1991 to 2002, as department chair. He was named the James S. McDonnell Professor of Physics in Arts & Sciences in 2005.

Over the course of his academic career, Will has been the recipient of many scholarships and fellowships. In 1986, he was selected by the American Association of Physics Teachers as the 46th annual Richtmyer Memorial Lecturer; in 1989 he was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society.

In 1996-97, he was named both a J. William Fulbright Fellow and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow, and in 2002 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. In 2004 he received the Fellows Award from the Academy of Science of St. Louis, and he currently serves as president of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation. He has served his profession through membership in and leadership of many other professional organizations and committees.

He is a frequent guest speaker and invited lecturer both in this country and internationally. He will spend the fall of 2005 lecturing in cities across Canada in honor of the World Year of Physics.