Philip Lieberman (Faculty)

Philip Lieberman, of Providence; July 12. He began his academic career in 1967 at UConn. In 1974 he joined the faculty at Brown, where he taught until 2012. At Brown he explored phonetics and the evolution of language and human cognition, publishing eight books and more than 150 articles over six decades. His research consisted of pioneering phonetics experiments, studying the vocal tracts of newborn humans, and traveling to the Mount Everest base camp to study the effect of high altitude on climbers’ cognitive abilities, part of a project to prepare future astronauts for a mission to Mars. He was an avid photographer and his work has been displayed in solo and group shows and is included in the RISD Museum collection. He and his wife traveled extensively and he contributed photographs to the travel books she authored. He was happiest hiking a mountain trail with his wife. He was a fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science. He is survived by his wife, Marcia; two sons and daughters-in-law; three grandchildren; and a sister.