Overview

Andrew P. Zwicker is a Democratic member of the New Jersey State Senate, representing the 16th Legislative District since January 11, 2022. The 16th District includes Hunterdon, Somerset, and Mercer County municipalities like Flemington, Bridgewater, Montgomery, Princeton, Somerset, and South Brunswick. He is a physicist and science educator who has spent his entire professional career at Princeton University's Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), where he currently serves as Head of Strategic Partnerships and Public Engagement. Raised in Englewood, New Jersey, Zwicker is the son of a public school English teacher and a chemical engineer.

He earned a bachelor's degree in physics from Bard College in 1986 and master's and doctoral degrees in physics from Johns Hopkins University in 1992. He conducted post-doctoral research on fusion energy at PPPL, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and internationally. A Fellow of the American Physical Society, Zwicker was named one of the 75 leading contributors to physics education in the United States by the American Association of Physics Teachers. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 2016 to 2022, where he was Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. In 2014, he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 12th Congressional District. Zwicker became the first Democrat elected to represent the 16th District in its 42-year history when he won his Assembly seat in 2015 by 78 votes. He won the Senate seat in 2021 in the only Democratic pickup of a Republican-held Senate seat that cycle.

Political Career

New Jersey State Senator, District 16 (2022–present)

Chair, Senate Legislative Oversight Committee (2024–present)

Vice-Chair, Senate Higher Education Committee (2022–present)

Vice-Chair, Senate Labor Committee (2022–present)

Member, Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee (2022–present)

New Jersey General Assemblyman, District 16 (2016–2022)

Chair, Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee (2018–2022)

Member, Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee (2016–2018)

Member, Assembly Judiciary Committee (2016–2018)

Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, NJ-12 (2014, unsuccessful)

Key Policy Areas

Science, innovation and technology policy

Environmental protection and renewable energy

Higher education and workforce development

Budget and appropriations oversight

Economic development and fusion energy research

Height and weight discrimination prevention

Notable Actions / Initiatives

Became the first Democrat elected to represent the historically Republican 16th Legislative District in 2015, winning by 78 votes after a recount

Won the 16th District Senate seat in 2021, the only Democratic pickup of a Republican-held Senate seat that election cycle despite a difficult year for Democrats statewide

Served as Chair of the Assembly Science, Innovation and Technology Committee from 2018 to 2022, the first scientist to hold that position

Authored the "Clean Energy and Jobs Act" and sponsored legislation to establish solar power incentive programs and create an Office of Clean Energy within the Board of Public Utilities

Prime sponsor of legislation to address height and weight discrimination in employment (S1631/A1697), which cleared the Senate Labor Committee in February 2026

Named Educator of the Year by the Research & Development Council of New Jersey in 2023

Education

Ph.D., Physics, Johns Hopkins University (1992)

M.A., Physics, Johns Hopkins University (1992)

B.A., Physics, Bard College (1986)

Diploma, Dwight Morrow High School, Englewood, New Jersey (1982)

Personal

Birth date: May 17, 1964

Residence: South Brunswick, New Jersey