Carroll from Caltech to Johns Hopkins
Sean Carroll, currently research professor of physics at Caltech, will be moving to Johns Hopkins University, where he will hold appointments in the university’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and its Department of Philosophy.
Professor Carroll is known for his research in theoretical physics and astrophysics, as well as on questions in quantum mechanics, spacetime, statistical mechanics, complexity, and cosmology that are often at the intersection of physics and philosophy. You can browse some of his writings here.
He is also well-known for his public-facing work on these and related subjects, including books and articles aimed at non-specialists, television and video appearances, as well as his own podcast, Mindscape.
At JHU, Carroll will be the Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy, teaching and advising in both the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Philosophy. Carroll notes that Homewood Professors (a special designation at JHU) get to choose what they are a professor of, and that he chose “natural philosophy” as a way of “harkening back to the days before science and philosophy split into distinct disciplines.”
He takes up his position in the Fall of 2022.
Reclaiming the phrase of “natural philosophy” is a bold move! I’ve appreciated a lot of Carroll’s discussions with philosophers, and am glad to hear that he’ll be in a position where this is more formally part of his duties.
As I am reading Sean Carroll’s “The Big Picture” I came to understand that this person, younger than me, will nonetheless be one of my mentors in life along with others like Yuval Harari. I unknowingly have been just missing my opportunities to talk with him in person. I moved from Philadelphia (where he started) to Los Angeles (where he taught) just as he moved on to Johns Hopkins University. My quest is not over.