About
Meet Andrew
Senator Andrew Zwicker is the first Democrat ever elected to the 16th Legislative District, serving in the General Assembly for three terms (2016 – 2022) and now is the first Democratic Senator representing the district (2022 – Present). A physicist and educator, Zwicker serves on the Budget and Appropriations, Higher Education, Labor, and Military and Veterans Affairs Committees and is a bipartisan member of both the Disability and Manufacturing Caucuses. While in the General Assembly, he helped create and served as Chair of the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee, was Vice-Chair of the Biotechnology Task Force, and was a member of the NJ Commission on Science Innovation and Technology.
His legislative focus is on ways to invest in innovation to create high-quality jobs for people of all backgrounds, addressing the climate crisis, and restoring trust in democracy through structural, election-related reforms. Andrew Zwicker brings a fresh outlook to everyday problems. With his background in science and higher education he brings a fact-based pragmatism to the legislature.
A lifelong New Jersey resident, Andrew is Head of Strategic Partnerships and Public Engagement at Princeton University’s Plasma Physics Laboratory, a world leader in developing an advanced form of energy known as fusion. He has taught classes in bioethics and writing and led plasma physics workshops for college faculty, undergraduate students, and advanced high school students. The American Association of Physics Teachers named him as one of the 75 leading contributors to physics education in the US.
Raised in Englewood, NJ, his love of learning and passion for science came from his mother, a public school English teacher, and father, a chemical engineer. Andrew earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from Bard College and a master’s and Ph.D. in physics from Johns Hopkins University. Andrew resides in the Kingston area of South Brunswick Township with his wife, Barbara, an educator in Hillsborough Township, along with their family. He enjoys surfing and playing soccer in his spare time.
Awards and Recognitions
2023 Educator of the Year – R&D Council of NJ
2023 Legislative Honoree – NJ Democratic State Committee LGBTQ Caucus
2023 Legislator of the Year – NJ Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies
2023 Emerald Award – NJ League of Conservation Voters
2022 Man of Achievement Honoree – YWCA of Princeton
2021 Legislative Honoree – Constitutional Officers Association of NJ
2021 Better Planet Champion – NJ Tech United
2019 Mildred Trotman Community Service Award – Princeton Witherspoon-Jackson Community
2019 Made in NJ Honor Roll – NJ Manufacturing Extension Program
2018 Legislative Champion – NJ Tech Council
Fellow of the American Physical Society
Named one of 75 significant physics educators by the American Association of Physics Teachers
Honorable Mention, The Flame Challenge, Center for Communicating Science, SUNY Stony Brook
First Prize, “Plasma Table,” Princeton University Art of Science Competition
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, “Outstanding Undergraduate Mentor”
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