Robert Ellis

Robert Anderson Ellis Jr. (1927 – 15 December 1989) was an American physicist and head of experimental projects at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Early life and education Robert Ellis was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Ellis received a bachelor's degree from Fisk University in 1948, and a master's degree from Yale University in 1949. After completing his master's education, Ellis began work as an instructor at the Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College, in Nashville, Tennessee (now Tennessee State University). While on leave from his instructor position, Ellis began doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. James Van Allen was Ellis' advisor, and Ellis was Van Allen's first doctoral student. At Iowa, Ellis also worked as a research assistant.