Professor of Physics, The University of California, Berkeley 1964 Nobel Laureate in Physics

Charles H. Townes was awarded the Nobel Prize for his role in the invention of the maser and laser. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society of London. He has received numerous honors, including NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal; the Medal of Honor of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; and the Founders' Award of the National Academy of Engineering. Townes also holds the 2005 Templeton Prize and the 2006 Vannevar Bush Medal.

Townes earned his B.S. in Physics and a B.A. in Modern Languages from Furman University. He received an M.S. in Physics at Duke University and a Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology. He worked at Bell Labs, Columbia University, and MIT, among other places, before starting at Berkeley.