Home

David Nirenberg, IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor, has been awarded a 2026 Balzan Prize, recognizing his work in the field of Jewish Studies. The award celebrates groundbreaking scholarship that contributes “to the understanding of our world and our time” and promotes “the advancement of knowledge without borders.”

While scientists have demonstrated how the holographic principle works in hypothetical, highly curved spaces, such as Anti-de Sitter space—an approach pioneered by Juan Maldacena, Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences—they are still trying to determine if equivalent field theories can replicate these effects in so-called "flat space." This year’s Prospects in Theoretical Physics (PiTP) program probed this fascinating topic.

Welcoming 252 participants from 18 countries, the 2026 Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI), an annual IAS outreach initiative, once again transformed Park City, Utah, into a thriving nexus for mathematical discovery. Over the course of three intensive weeks, its attendees focused on the topic of knotted surfaces in four-manifolds. 

Wendy Brown, Professor Emerita in the School of Social Science; Shatema Threadcraft, Ralph E. and Doris M. Hansmann Member (2017–18) in the School; and Peter J. Katzenstein, Member (2009–10) in the School, were recently announced as American Political Science Association (APSA) award winners.