William D. Phillips, Nobel Prize in Physics 1997 – Interviewed in 2008

William Phillips discusses how his home life helped develop his early interest in science, the cultural differences he has observed in the way physicists approach problems (5:03), his incredibly precise thesis and how it helped establish the value of the fine structure constant (8:05), his move from MIT to the National Bureau of Standards (14:09), the work for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize (20:32), the application of laser cooling to atomic clocks (27:55), the inquisitiveness he looks for in a student (33:14), and how his faith is connected to his work (40:27).

[JohnMusic_PhD]

Great presentation, wonderful discussion! I had the honor of being mentored by Dr. Bill Phillips when I started graduate work at MIT.

[francescosilvestro]

Thanks for entertaining me pleasantly 🙏

[nandanm]

Respected sir,
Thank you for sharing such valuable information.
From,
Nandan M.

[radmcbad]

Well, so far as I see, he tries to follow christ and nothing gets in the way of his science, besides, his hiring methods. He will require an understanding of physics and prefers that you have questions. It doesn't actually matter if you are an astro physicist.

Even this very simplified description he gave about the sciences took me to my maximum level. I think I understand everything he said but not easily and that is for sure.