Institute Director Robbert Dijkgraaf Receives Honorary Doctorate from Leiden University

Robbert Dijkgraaf, Director and Leon Levy Professor of the Institute for Advanced Study, has been selected to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Leiden University, to be presented at the university’s anniversary celebration on February 8, 2019.

University faculty nominate two scientists and scholars each year. The award recognizes the achievements of scholars who have made substantial contributions to fields in which Leiden University faculty specialize.

Dijkgraaf, whose work is concentrated at the interface between mathematics and physics, has made profound insights into the application of topological concepts from mathematics to quantum field theories from physics. This includes the Dijkgraaf-Witten classification of topological quantum field theories, named after Dijkgraaf and the Institute’s Charles Simonyi Professor Edward Witten. Dijkgraaf’s theories have implications in high-energy physics and Dijkgraaf's topological concepts have penetrated solid-state physics.

While this award speaks to Dijkgraaf’s scientific work, Leiden University also recognizes Dijkgraaf’s leadership as a science communicator and his captivating and accessible presentation of science to the broader public.

Read more at Leiden University.