George Edward Backus (born May 24, 1930) is an American geophysicist, best known for his work with J. Freeman Gilbert on inverse methods for geophysical data. He is also notably credited with advancing the dynamo theory on the origin of the Earth's magnetic field. Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Backus did his undergraduate and graduate training at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, receiving a M.S. in mathematics in 1950 and a Ph.D. in physics in 1956. During 1957–1958 he worked as a physicist in

Project Matterhorn Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a United States Department of Energy United States Department of Energy National Labs, national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science. Its primary mission is research into and develo ...

in Princeton, then moving to MIT for two years as assistant professor of mathematics. In 1960 he moved to

Scripps Institution of Oceanography The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (sometimes referred to as SIO, Scripps Oceanography, or Scripps) in San Diego, California, US founded in 1903, is one of the oldest and largest centers for oceanography, ocean and Earth science research ...

and the associated

University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Insti ...

where he has spent the rest of his career. Backus was professor of geophysics until 1994, and subsequently a research professor of geophysics. Backus is the winner of many awards, including the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1986) and the John Adam Fleming Medal of the

American Geophysical Union The American Geophysical Union (AGU) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of Earth, atmospheric, ocean, hydrologic, space, and planetary scientists and enthusiasts that according to their website includes 130,000 people (not members). AGU's act ...

(1986), and he was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union (1967) and of the

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Olga and Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died on April 26, 1922. The organization awards Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been ...

(1963 and 1970). He is an elected member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

, the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

, and of the

Académie des Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the ...

of France.

References

External links

Scripps Institution of Oceanography – Profile page on George Backus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Backus, George Edward 1930 births Living people American geophysicists Linear algebraists University of Chicago alumni Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Recipients of the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society

See also

References

External links