Physics

Three IAS Members in the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences have received the 2022 ICTP Dirac Medal “for groundbreaking and mathematically rigorous contributions to the understanding of the statistical mechanics of classical and quantum physical systems.”

“We can see the unseen. An astonishing deep-field image of crashing galaxies and bygone nebulae. A glimpse at what the death of our own sun might look like. Baby stars being born perched on cosmic cliffs. The first photographs of the JWST are breathtaking, and they will dramatically change how we understand the universe."

"As Chris Hamilton (Institute for Advanced Study) explains in a recent research article, understanding the current orbits of binary stars in the Milky Way requires separating the effects of nature (the eccentricities that the binary systems are born with) and nurture (the outside gravitational effects of passing stars and the background galactic pull)."

Chris Hamilton, current Member in the School of Natural Sciences, has received the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) 2021 Ph.D. Prize to Recognize Excellence in Astrophysics for his thesis “Secular Dynamics of Binaries in Stellar Clusters," supervised by current IAS Visitor and frequent Member Roman Rafikov. 

Ahmed Almheiri, past Member (2017–22) in the School of Natural Sciences, has received a 2022 IUPAP Early Career Scientist Award in Particles and Fields “for substantial and impactful contributions to the understanding of black holes and quantum gravity, specifically related to the information paradox and its connection to quantum information theory and quantum error correction.”

"Frank Wilczek, the Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist and author renowned for his boundary-pushing investigations into the fundamental laws of nature, was honored Wednesday with this year’s prestigious Templeton Prize, awarded to individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality."

"The staff of Quanta Magazine, notably senior editor [and 2017 IAS Director's Visitor] Natalie Wolchover, have won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for explanatory writing 'for coverage that revealed the complexities of building the James Webb Telescope, designed to facilitate groundbreaking astronomical and cosmological research.'"

James Stone, Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in recognition of advancements in original research. 

Matias Zaldarriaga, Richard Black Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, and Wendy Brown, UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Social Science, have been elected as members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (AAA&S), an honor that recognizes accomplishments and leadership in academia, the arts, industry, public policy, and research.