Fred Raab Receives 2025 Isaacson Award in GW Science from APS

LIGO is proud to announce that former LIGO Hanford Observatory (LHO) head, Dr. Fred Raab, has received the Richard A. Isaacson Award in Gravitational-Wave Science from the American Physical Society (APS), which recognizes outstanding contributions in gravitational-wave physics, gravitational-wave astrophysics, and the technologies that enable this science. The award has been made possible through the generous support of Kip S. Thorne and Rainer Weiss. It honors the contributions of Richard Isaacson, retired Program Director of Gravitational Physics at the National Science Foundation, to the development of LIGO and to the entire field of gravitational-wave physics.

Dr. Raab was bestowed the 2025 award "[f]or many seminal contributions to gravitational-wave science, including co-leading the LIGO construction proposal, achieving unprecedented strain sensitivities on the 40m prototype interferometer [at Caltech], skillful leading of the LIGO Hanford Observatory from its genesis through the era of the first detections, and passionate outreach to the scientific community and the public".

In response, Raab said, "[i]t is a privilege to receive this recognition from colleagues and to have been part of the growth of this new field. When I joined Caltech in 1988, all of the people working on gravitational-wave detection worldwide would have fit in a large classroom. Today, gravitational-wave astronomy has become mainstream science, with several thousand contributors across the globe."

Raab will officially receive the award at the spring 2025 APS April Meeting, where he will also give an invited talk.

Fred's long-time colleagues applaud the decision of the APS. Dave Reitze, current LIGO Executive Director, said that "Fred is perhaps the leading unsung giant in the field of gravitational waves, and his contributions have played critical roles in so many aspects of LIGO. He is most deserving of the Richard A. Isaacson Award in Gravitational-Wave Science."

While long-time colleague, Stan Whitcomb, echoed Reitze's accolades:

"Fred Raab has been a key part of the gravitational wave detection community from its early years. He has made major technical contributions to the effort to detect gravitational waves with LIGO, has been a leader in developing both the physical and the human capability to achieve this task, and served the scientific and broader communities with passion and distinction. Few people have had as broad an impact on the field of gravitational waves as Fred."

And current LHO Head, Mike Landry, excitedly congratulated Raab on this well-deserved recognition, stating, "Fred has spent 35 years searching for gravitational waves, toiling to make three generations of interferometric detectors progressively more sensitive, until finally making first detections of gravitational waves from black hole collisions in 2015. The breadth of his contributions to launching the field are astonishing."

Stretching far beyond his scientific contribution, Raab has also impacted thousands of people outside of the scientific community by being a long-time ambassador for LIGO and outreach advocate, speaking to students of all ages, and members of the public around the world. Fred continues to show this commitment by frequently being a tour guide during LHO's Second Saturday tour days. So long-standing is Fred's passion for outreach that LHO created a special staff award in Fred's name: the LIGO Fred Raab Excellence in Outreach Award.

Everyone at LIGO congratulates Fred on this well-deserved recognition!

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