David Todd Wilkinson (May 13, 1935 – September 5, 2002) was an American cosmologist, specializing in the study of the cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB). Education Wilkinson was born in Hillsdale, Michigan on May 13, 1935, and earned his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Michigan under the supervision of H. Richard Crane. Research and career Wilkinson was a Professor of Physics at Princeton University from 1965 until his retirement in 2002. He made fundamental contributions to many major cosmic microwave background experiments, including two NASA satellites: the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), the latter of which was named in his honor after his death due to cancer on September 5, 2002. Accolades Princeton President's Award for Distinguished Teaching Election to the National Academy of Sciences (1983) James Craig Watson Medal (2001) References External links John Mather and P. James E. Peebles, "David Todd Wilkinson", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2009) 1935 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American astronomers American cosmologists Princeton University faculty Deaths from cancer in New Jersey Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences People from Hillsdale, Michigan University of Michigan alumni