Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was a theoretical physicist born of Jewish parents at Ulm, Germany. He received his formal training in Germany, Italy and later in Switzerland, where in 1905 he was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Zurich. In 1909 he became Professor Extraordinary at Zurich, in 1911 Professor of Theoretical Physics at Prague, and in 1914 he was appointed Director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Physical Institute and Professor in the University of Berlin. He became a German citizen in 1914 and remained in Berlin until 1933 when he renounced his citizenship for political reasons and emigrated to America to take the position of Professor of Theoretical Physics at Princeton University. He became a United States citizen in 1940 and retired from his post in 1945.

Einstein’s contributions to our knowledge of the natural world are monumental. Among his many contributions to physics include his special theory of relativity, which reconciled mechanics with electromagnetism, and his general theory of relativity, which extended the principle of relativity to non-uniform motion, creating a new theory of gravitation. His other contributions include relativistic cosmology, capillary action, an explanation of the Brownian movement of molecules, the quantum theory of a monatomic gas, and the conception of a unified field theory. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically the equivalence between mass and energy, exemplified by his equation E = mc², which suggests that tiny amounts of mass could be converted into huge amounts of energy.

In addition to his scientific accomplishments Einstein had a great interest in world affairs. After World War II he was a leading figure in the World Government Movement. He was offered the Presidency of the State of Israel, which he declined, and he collaborated with Dr. Chaim Weizmann in establishing the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Among his many awards, Dr. Einstein received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect."  In 1999 Einstein was named Time magazine's "Person of the Century".  Simply put, he is universally considered to be greatest physicist of all time.

This medal commemorates the centennial of Albert Einstein's birth.