William Nierenberg

William Aaron Nierenberg ( born February 13, 1919 in New York City; † 10 September 2000 in La Jolla ) was an American physicist.

Nierenberg studied at the City College of New York (Bachelor 1939) and at Columbia University, where in 1942 he received his master's degree. During World War II he worked in the Manhattan Project under Harold Urey at with methods of uranium enrichment. In 1947 he received his doctorate at Columbia University. Earlier, he was there from 1946 Instructor in Physics. 1947 he also worked for the U.S. Navy to questions of radioactive contamination and decontamination methods for ships.

In 1948, he was Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan, 1950, he became Associate Professor in 1954 and Professor at the University of California, Berkeley. At the same time he was in 1950, participated in the founding of the Hudson Laboratories, Dobbs Ferry, New York, its director in 1954 /54 and where he worked on acoustic submarine detection.

From 1965 to 1986 he was director of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego and at the same time since 1969, Vice Chancellor of Marine Sciences of the University of California, San Diego. 1960 to 1962 he was Assistant Secretary General for Scientific Affairs of NATO.

He was a member of the JASON Defense Advisory Group. In 1971 he became a member of the National Academy of Sciences. 1958 to 1960 he was a consultant to the National Security Agency. 1958 to 1960 he was in the advisory panel of the U.S. president for submarine defense and 1962-1964 in such of Foreign Affairs.