Professor Emeritus John Holdren has been named the 2026 recipient of the Karl Compton Medal, an honor awarded by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) every two years to a physicist who has demonstrated exceptional statesmanship in science. The medal is named after physicist Karl Taylor Compton.
Holdren was recognized “for his scientific leadership in engaging the public and promoting sound governmental policies and key international agreements,” according to AIP.
Holdren joined UC Berkeley in 1972 as its first assistant professor of energy and resources, recruited by Professor Charles K. “Ned” Birdsall. During his early years at Berkeley, he played a central role in developing what became the Energy and Resources Group (ERG). By 1975, approval was granted for ERG to admit students, offer courses, grant degrees, and host core faculty appointments.
For over twenty years at Berkeley, Holdren contributed to ERG’s growth by recruiting top faculty and graduate students who focused on multidisciplinary approaches to complex problems. His research led him to receive one of the first MacArthur Fellowships and become involved with the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. As chair of Pugwash’s executive committee, Holdren accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of Pugwash when it was named co-recipient in 1995.
After leaving Berkeley in 1996, Holdren took faculty positions at Harvard University in both the Kennedy School of Government and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He later served as Chief Science and Technology Advisor to President Barack Obama from 2009 for eight years. In this role as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), Holdren advised on issues including energy policy, climate change, industrial competitiveness, national security, and public health.
More information about the Compton Medal can be found at the American Institute of Physics’ website.
