Juan Maldacena

According to a recent article from Quanta Magazine, researchers working at the frontier of quantum physics have uncovered a “puzzling conundrum.” The story began nearly three decades ago, when Juan Maldacena, Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, demonstrated that complex calculations in string theory could be dramatically simplified using concepts from particle physics through a “holographic” correspondence. 

Lorenz Eberhardt, Marvin L. Goldberger Member (2019–23) in the School of Natural Sciences, has been awarded the European Physical Society's 2025 Gribov Medal. Eberhardt's work was described as combining "profound physical insight, technical virtuosity, and mathematical rigor."

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.

In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, Brian Greene, Member (1992–93) in the Schools of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, argues that scholars should continue exploring string theory, even in the absence of experimental verification.

In August, 157 participants from 10 countries gathered at the Institute for the initial focus weeks of a workshop on Quantum Information and Physics. The workshop, which will continue through October 31, 2024, considers the relation of quantum complexity to physical systems such as many-body problems in quantum simulators, condensed matter physics, quantum field theory, and quantum gravity.

Past scholars in the Schools of Mathematics and Natural Sciences are among the recipients of the 2024 Sloan Research Fellowships, a landmark honor for early-career scholars. 

This December, over 200 scholars from across the globe descended on the Institute for Advanced Study for a three-day Qubit workshop focused on applying ideas and concepts from quantum information theory to the study of spacetime.

All four of this year’s winners of the Dirac Medal––Jeffrey Harvey, Igor Klebanov, Stephen Shenker, and Leonard Susskind––are past Members in the School of Natural Sciences.