TRENTON — Physicist Andrew Zwicker of South Brunswick received the oath of office from Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on Jan. 12 to become a member of the New Jersey General Assembly.
“Andrew already has demonstrated the kind of tenacity that is instrumental to advancing causes that benefit middle-class and working people in New Jersey,” said Prieto (D-Bergen/Hudson). “Where others may see a challenge, Andrew sees an opportunity. That outlook will make him an excellent addition to the Assembly’s Democratic caucus.”
Zwicker, head of science education at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, is a resident of the Kingston section of South Brunswick.
He now represents the 16th Legislative District, which includes municipalities in Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset counties.
“At the heart of my experience as a physicist is an ability to find evidence-based solutions to complex problems. That idea is as applicable in the statehouse as it is in the lab,” Zwicker said. “The people of the 16th District asked for a new voice in Trenton, and I am committed to making that voice loud, clear and unwavering on their behalf.”
Named a leading contributor to physics education by the American Association of Physics Teachers, Zwicker is president of the Princeton University chapter of Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society, an 80,000-member society of scientists and engineers.
Additionally, he is the editor for the newsletter “Physics and Society,” a publication of the American Physical Society, where he is a fellow.
Zwicker also serves as an academic adviser at Princeton, an academic-athletic fellow for the Princeton women’s soccer team and a part-time lecturer in the Princeton University Writing Program.
Zwicker is also experienced in business operations, having managed a $1 million annual budget and a diverse staff at the lab over many years. Recently, working with technology sector leaders, he helped spearhead a novel public-private partnership focused on developing green energy.
Zwicker holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Bard College and a master’s and doctorate, both also in physics, from Johns Hopkins University. His post-doctoral work focused on fusion energy research at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and internationally.