Peter Littlewood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Littlewood
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| Born | 18 May 1955 |
| Died | 15 June 2026 (aged 71) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Cambridge |
| Known for | polariton condensation, correlated oxides |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Condensed matter physics |
| Institutions | |
| Doctoral advisor | Volker Heine |
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Peter Brent Littlewood (born May 18, 1955, died June 15, 2026) was a brilliant British physicist and professor. He taught physics at the University of Chicago and was the 12th Director of Argonne National Laboratory, a major science research center. He also led important research groups at famous places like the Cavendish Laboratory and Bell Laboratories. Peter Littlewood helped start and chaired the board of trustees for the Faraday Institution from 2018 to 2024.
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Peter Littlewood's Educational Journey
Peter Littlewood was a very smart student. He earned a top degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1976. After that, he received a special scholarship, called a Kennedy Scholarship, to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States for two years. He then returned to Cambridge in 1977 to complete his PhD, which is a very advanced science degree.
Leading Research in Physics
In 1980, Peter Littlewood began working at Bell Labs, a famous research center known for its inventions. He became the head of theoretical physics research there in 1992, leading a team of scientists who explored new ideas in physics. He continued to be a key member of the technical staff until 2001.
Later, in 1997, he became a professor at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge. There, he led the Theory of Condensed Matter group, which studies how different materials behave at a tiny level. He also spent time as a special scholar at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 2003 to 2004.
In 2005, he returned to lead the entire Cavendish Laboratory. Then, in 2011, he moved to the Argonne National Laboratory in the U.S. He became the Associate Laboratory Director for Physical Sciences and Engineering. On March 25, 2014, Peter Littlewood was named the main Director of Argonne National Laboratory. In January 2017, he retired from his director role to focus on his research at the University of Chicago. From 2022, he also held a teaching position at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Peter Littlewood also advised other important science groups, like the Faraday Institute and Flatiron Institute. He was very productive in his career. He held six patents for his inventions, wrote over 200 articles for scientific journals, and gave more than 200 talks to scientists around the world.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Peter Littlewood received many honors for his contributions to science:
- He became a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2025.
- He was recognized as a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2007, which is a very high honor for scientists.
- He became a Fellow of the Institute of Physics in 2005.
- He served as a Matthias Scholar at Los Alamos National Laboratory from 2003 to 2004.
- He consulted for Los Alamos National Laboratory and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory starting in 2004.
- He became a Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge in 1997.
- He was recognized as a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 1989.
- He was named a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1989.
- He was a visiting scientist at CNRS in Grenoble, France, in 1986.
- He was a Denman Baynes Student at Clare College, Cambridge, from 1979 to 1980.
- He was a Senior Scholar at Trinity College Cambridge from 1974 to 1976.
Peter Littlewood's Scientific Discoveries
Peter Littlewood's research explored many exciting areas of physics. He studied materials that could conduct electricity perfectly at higher temperatures, called high-temperature superconductors. He also investigated how other special materials, like transition metal oxides, behaved at a tiny level. His work also looked at how light interacts with very active semiconductors.
He used his discoveries to help create new technologies. This included ways to store information using holograms, improve optical fibers and devices for communication, and develop new materials for particle detectors, which are used to find tiny particles in space and experiments.
