Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. is the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y.; her total compensation is nearly $1.6 million. Dr. Jackson holds a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics from M.I.T. and an S.B. in physics from M.I.T. Her research specialty is in theoretical condensed matter physics, especially layered systems, and the physics of opto-electronic materials.
