Having developed an interest in the sciences in high school, Lawrence W. Jones, PhD has become an accomplished physicist and educator. Before studying in his field, Dr. Jones served in World War II while the atomic bomb was being developed, which piqued his interest in physics and inspired him to learn more about the subject. After serving in the military, he received a Bachelor of Science in physics and zoology and a Master of Science in physics, both from Northwestern University in 1948 and 1949, respectively. He began his career as a scientist for the United States Naval Ordnance Laboratory before serving as a teaching fellow at Northwestern during his graduate studies. After receiving his degree in 1949, he enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where he served as a teaching fellow and then a research assistant in the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in physics in 1952. After this, he served as an associate professor, assistant professor, and instructor at the University of Michigan before becoming a full professor of physics, a position he held for the majority of his career. Also at the University of Michigan, he served as the chairman of the department of physics from 1982 to 1987. Today he is a visiting scientist and holds the title of professor emeritus of physics at the university.
Throughout his career, Dr. Jones has also worked actively with the European Organization for Nuclear Research as a fellow and currently as a staff associate. In addition, he has served as a fellow and visiting professor at the University of London and at Westfield College (now the Queen Mary University of London). Outside of his primary appointments in the field, Dr. Jones has held numerous positions as a visiting physicist, scientist, and professor, and a consultant. He is currently the co-chairman of the science advisory committee of the Michigan Environmental Council, and a visiting physicist at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, IL, the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, CA. Previously, he has worked with the organizations such as NASA, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the National Academy of Sciences. His work in the field has also taken him to institutions in Switzerland, Bolivia, Australia, and New Zealand.
Dr. Jones has also extended his expertise as a speaker in the field and as a member of the advisory panel on cosmic rays of the Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics. Additionally, he served as the chair and co-chair of the doctoral thesis committees for 17 students, including Samuel C.C. Ting, who later received the Nobel Prize in physics. Civically, Dr. Jones previously acted as president and treasurer of the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, MI. As a trusted voice in his field, he recently gave a talk in Denver, CO, and plans to continue speaking professionally in the coming years.
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