Walter Massey—a motivating leader, physicist, chair of the Giant Magellan Telescope Organization, president emeritus of Morehouse College and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, former director of the National Science Foundation, and previous director of Argonne National Laboratory—will present the keynote speech at Caltech’s 131st Annual Commencement Ceremony on June 13, 2025.
“Massey’s remarkable career underscores his commitment to science and technology, science policy, and science communication, all aimed at enhancing quality of life and nurturing creativity and innovation,” states President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. “He has opened opportunities for marginalized communities, highlighting inclusive excellence, access to quality education, mentorship, and the potential of STEM.”
Massey grew up in the segregated South. His exceptional academic achievements during high school led to a full scholarship from the Ford Foundation for attendance at Morehouse College, where he earned his BS in physics. He proceeded to explore condensed matter physics at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he was awarded his PhD.
After completing his education, Massey undertook postdoctoral research at Argonne National Laboratory before taking on the role of assistant professor of physics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His investigations concentrated on superfluidity in liquid helium and significantly advanced our comprehension of neutron stars while informing methods for detecting dark matter and advancing quantum technologies. One of only four or five Black professors, Massey was actively involved in every Black faculty and student association, demonstrating his dedication to racial equity.
Massey later joined Brown University’s faculty, ultimately rising to the position of dean of the college. He transitioned from Brown to become director of Argonne National Laboratory and a professor of physics at the University of Chicago, which oversees Argonne for the Department of Energy. As vice president for research at the University of Chicago, he united these two institutions.
In 1991, Massey was appointed as the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Among his numerous achievements, he played a pivotal role in persuading Congress to fund the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) when the likelihood of detecting gravitational waves was exceedingly slim. LIGO, the most extensive and ambitious endeavor ever financed by the NSF, successfully identified cosmic gravitational waves 25 years later. The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Caltech professors Barry C. Barish, the Ronald and Maxine Linde Professor of Physics, Emeritus, and Kip S. Thorne (BS ’62), the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics, Emeritus, alongside MIT’s Rainer Weiss, professor of physics, emeritus, for their leadership in this groundbreaking project.
In 1993, Massey was designated provost and vice president for academic affairs within the University of California system and its three national laboratories. Two years later, he returned to Morehouse College as president, serving until 2007 before taking on the presidency of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
During his tenure in these leadership positions, Massey promoted synergy and cooperation among academia, government, and industry. He was instrumental in restoring funding and recognition for national labs as pioneering scientific research entities. He also co-founded the Argonne-Chicago Development Corporation (ARCH) to commercialize findings from Argonne and the University of Chicago.
Massey has participated on the boards of BP, McDonald’s, Motorola, the MacArthur Foundation, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and the Smithsonian Institution, among others. Additionally, he served as the vice president of the American Physical Society, chair of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board, chairman of Bank of America, a member of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, and co-founded the National Society of Black Physicists. He is the sole individual to have held both the presidency and chairman roles at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as chair of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
For further details regarding Caltech’s 131st Annual Commencement, and Massey’s personal and professional achievements, visit commencement.caltech.edu.