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In fairness he did have a PhD in mathematical physics so characterizing him as an engineer instead of a physicist is not quite accurate. That said people in aca
by blululu 5y ago
In fairness he did have a PhD in mathematical physics so characterizing him as an engineer instead of a physicist is not quite accurate. That said people in academia routinely downplay the qualifications and abilities of people who work in industry. It’s not hard to imagine colleagues dismissing his work as mere engineering and not real science before he won the Nobel prize. Perhaps calling him an engineer is fair in light of such practices.
- SiempreViernes 5y agoI think you've invented quite a backstory about him being marginalised, but consider that when he left Bell labs he got offered a wage 17% short of a US congressman or the top 3% of engineer or "natural scientists" wages. This is not the pay for someone whose work is being dismissed. My point was that actually he was mainly a physicist that simply started by studying engineering.