News

Four of the six recipients of the International Congress of Basic Science's 2025 Basic Science Lifetime Award are past IAS scholars: Shigefumi Mori, George Lusztig, and Robert Tarjan from the School of Mathematics and David Gross from the School of Natural Sciences. The award is bestowed upon “extraordinary” scientists in their respective fields.

Masaki Kashiwara, Member (1977–78) in the School of Mathematics, has been awarded the 2025 Abel Prize, often described as the mathematics equivalent of the Nobel Prize, for his “fundamental contributions to algebraic analysis and representation theory, in particular the development of the theory of D-modules and the discovery of crystal bases.”

Chris Hamilton, John N. Bahcall Fellow in the School of Natural Sciences, has been recognized in the 2024 Early Career Collection of the Physics of Plasmas journal for his “outstanding” paper on stellar systems and kinetic theory, a prestigious accomplishment for emerging physics scholars.

Derek Bermel, IAS Artist-in-Residence (2009–13), has been named a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters for “notable achievement” in the field of music. Bermel's time at IAS inspired a number of significant compositions, including “A Short History of the Universe (as related by Nima Arkani-Hamed),” which presents a musical interpretation of gravity.

David Rubenstein, Trustee of the Institute for Advanced Study since 2005, will be conferred the highest honor from Eisenhower Fellowships for his philanthropic generosity, innovative leadership, and commitment to serving others.

David Leslie Kennedy, Member (1986–87, 2004) and frequent Visitor in the School of Historical Studies, was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for his "significant service to archaeology as a researcher and academic." 

Robbert Dijkgraaf, IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor (2012–22), has been elected to lead the International Science Council’s advancement and advocacy efforts to confront today’s most critical scientific challenges. 

This month, an effort to unite three astrophysical research communities who exploit common techniques to understand waves in gaseous disks, galaxies, and stars was made by three scholars from the School of Natural Sciences. John N. Bahcall Fellow Chris Hamilton and Members Callum W. Fairbairn and Uddipan Banik organized a workshop titled IAStrophysical Waves, at which over thirty astrophysicists from across the globe were in attendance.

Rubina Raja, Member (2019) in the School of Historical Studies, has received a Semper Ardens Advance grant from the Carlsberg Foundation for her groundbreaking project titled Locally Crafted Empires (LoCiS). The project, set to launch in the summer of 2025, will contribute a comprehensive and diachronic study of local portrait cultures in ancient West Asia.

Ten past IAS scholars from the School of Mathematics have been named as recipients in the 2025 American Mathematical Society (AMS) Awards. The work for which the scholars were recognized ranged from topics in algebraic geometry to contributions to the Langlands program. AMS described the 2025 awardees as having "far-reaching impact" that has "educated a generation" of mathematicians.