The Faculty
In spring 2009, the faculty (including visitors and part-time faculty) totaled 1,172, including 485 professors, 85 associate professors, 171 assistant professors, 16 instructors, 283 lecturers, and 132 visitors.
Seventy-six percent of the professorial faculty is tenured. Excluding visitors, approximately 328 members of the faculty are women, and 181 are identified as members of minority groups. There were 121 tenured women on the faculty in spring 2009.
Approximately half of Princeton’s tenured faculty members were promoted to tenure while at Princeton; the other half were hired with tenure from other institutions.
All faculty members at Princeton are expected to teach, as well as engage in scholarly research. Faculty members work most closely with undergraduates in the supervision of junior-year independent work and senior theses.
Eleven members of the current Princeton faculty (including emeritus) are recipients of the Nobel Prize: Philip W. Anderson, Joseph Henry Professor of Physics Emeritus, won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1977; Val L. Fitch, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Physics Emeritus, won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1980; Chloe Anthony Morrison, Robert F. Goheen Professor in the Humanities Emeritus, won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1993; Joseph H. Taylor, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Physics Emeritus, shared the Nobel Prize in physics in 1993 with Russell A. Hulse, principal research physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory on Princeton’s Forrestal campus; John F. Nash, senior research mathematician, won the 1994 Nobel Prize in economic sciences; Eric F. Wieschaus, Squibb Professor of Molecular Biology, won the 1995 Nobel Prize in medicine; Daniel C. Tsui, Arthur Legrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering, won the 1998 Nobel Prize in physics; Daniel Kahneman, Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology Emeritus, and professor of psychology and public affairs emeritus, won the 2002 Nobel Prize in economic sciences; David J. Gross, Thomas D. Jones Professor of Mathematical Physics Emeritus, won the 2004 Nobel Prize in physics; Eric Maskin, a visiting lecturer with the rank of professor of economics, won the 2007 Nobel Prize in economic sciences; and Paul Krugman, professor of economics and international affairs, won the 2008 Nobel Prize in economic sciences. Twenty-five faculty and staff members have been named MacArthur Fellows.