Juan Maldacena
THEORETICAL PHYSICS
Professor
School of Natural
Sciences

Juan Maldacena’s work focuses on quantum gravity, string theory, and quantum field theory. He has recently proposed a relationship between quantum gravity and quantum field theories, which elucidates various aspects of both theories. His work relates apparently different problems such as quark confinement and black holes. This relationship has clarified various aspects of the physics of black holes. It has also provided new computational tools to tackle complicated problems in strongly interacting quantum field theories. Maldacena’s work provides a deeper understanding of the correspondence between string theory in d space-time dimensions and Yang-Mills theory in d-1 dimensions.

Ph.D., Princeton University, 1996; Research Associate, Rutgers University, 1997; Professor, Harvard University, 1997-2001; Institute for Advanced Study, Member, 1999, Visiting Professor, 2000-01, Professor, 2001-; Sloan Foundation Fellow, 1997-99; Packard Fellow, 1998-2001; MacArthur Foundation Fellow, 1999; UNESCO Husein Prize for Young Scientists, 2000; Sackler Prize in Physics, 2000; Xanthopoulos Prize in General Relativity, 2001; Pius XI Medal, 2002; Edward A. Bouchet Award, American Physical Society, 2004.