Haverford, 1963
Dr. Joseph H. Taylor was an Honorary Inductee to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2006.
Joseph Taylor, a multi-sport athlete at Haverford College will be remembered for his great contributions to the field of science during and after his time at Haverford, with a concentration in physics.
Taylor spent the majority of his free time participating in soccer, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis while in college. While participating in sports he began to realize his love for the sciences, specifically physics. He would graduate from Haverford earning a B.A. in physics and would later receive his Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard University in 1968.
While working in the field of physics Taylor, along with Russell Alan Hulse, discovered a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation. For their findings they were honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1993.
In addition to the Nobel Prize, Taylor has been recognized with many other awards including the first Heineman Prize of the American Astronomical Society, the Henry Draper Medal of the National Academy of Sciences, the Tomalla Foundation Prize, the Magellanic Premium, the Carty Award for the Advancement of Science, the Albert Einstein Medal, the Wolf Prize in Physics, and the Karl Schwarzschild Medal.
In 1980, shortly after receiving his Ph.D., Taylor moved on to Princeton University where he was the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Physics. He also represented the university for six years as the Dean of Faculty. He retired from his role with the university in 2006.