Princeton University Professor Dies After Falling More Than 300 Feet In Rock-Climbing Accident On French Mountain
PRINCETON, N.J. (CBS) -- A Princeton University professor died after falling more than 300 feet in a rock-climbing accident on a French mountain over the weekend. Steven Gubser, 47, was on vacation with his family in Europe at the time of his death.
According to a French publication, Gubser, a physics professor, was climbing the "Comb Needle" in Chamonix on Aug. 3 when the accident occurred.
"I am shocked and devastated by the untimely passing of Steve," said Igor Klebanov, the director of Princeton Center for Theoretical Science. "I have known him from the time when he, as a Princeton junior, enrolled in a graduate course I was teaching, and was by far the best student in the class. We have collaborated on many research papers, and my most influential paper by far was written in collaboration with him and Alexander Polyakov. Steve's death is a huge loss for Princeton University, and for the world of theoretical physics. I will miss him greatly."
Gubser, who graduated from Princeton in 1994, was a highly accomplished scholar of string theory and black holes. He received a number of awards and honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists, a Gribov Medal of the European Physical Society, and a Simons Investigator Award.
"This is such a loss for everyone," said physics department chair Herman Verlinde. "I have known Steve for over 25 years, first as a stellar student and then as an equally stellar faculty colleague and scholar. He truly loved physics and was amazingly good at it. He deeply cared about teaching and sharing his enthusiasm for physics with his students. His energetic presence, disarming humor and cool style made him into one of our most popular teachers and mentors. Princeton was his home and he contributed to the University in many ways. We will dearly miss him."
Gubser is survived by his wife and their three daughters.
