# Barry Barish

_American physicist_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/barry-barish
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Barry Clark Barish (born January 27, 1936) is an American experimental physicist and Nobel Laureate. He is a Linde Professor of Physics, emeritus at California Institute of Technology and a leading expert on gravitational waves.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 27 January 1936 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Omaha ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993#P27))
- **Occupation:** experimental physicist; university teacher; physicist; astrophysicist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993#P106))
- **Education:** John Marshall High School; University of California, Berkeley ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993#P69))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physics; Henry Draper Medal; Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research; Enrico Fermi Prize; Fellow of the American Physical Society; Honorary doctor of the University of Bologna; honorary doctorate of the University of Glasgow; honorary doctor of Sofia University; Foreign Member of the Royal Society; Cocconi Prize; Honorary doctorate of the University of Florida; National Medal of Science; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993#P166))

## About

In 2017, Barish was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics along with Rainer Weiss and Kip Thorne "for decisive contributions to the LIGO detector and the observation of gravitational waves". He said, "I didn't know if I would succeed. I was afraid I would fail, but because I tried, I had a breakthrough."

In 2018, he joined the faculty at University of California, Riverside, becoming the university's second Nobel Prize winner on the faculty.

In the fall of 2023, he joined Stony Brook University as the inaugural President's Distinguished Endowed Chair in Physics.

In 2023, Barish was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Biden in a White House ceremony.

## Questions

**When was Barry Barish born?**  
Barry Barish was born on 27 January 1936 in Omaha.

**Where did Barry Barish study?**  
Barry Barish was educated at John Marshall High School, University of California, Berkeley.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Barry Barish](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Barish) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q15900993](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15900993) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: 05-0367-92D.hr.jpg by R. Hahn (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:05-0367-92D.hr.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Barry Barish, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: 05-0367-92D.hr.jpg — R. Hahn, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Barry Barish". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/barry-barish. Retrieved 6 November 2026.