Lorenz Eberhardt Awarded 2025 Gribov Medal for "Groundbreaking Contributions" to String Theory

Lorenz Eberhardt, Marvin L. Goldberger Member (2019–23) in the School of Natural Sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Gribov Medal. The medal, presented by the European Physical Society (EPS), is named for the prominent Russian theoretical physicist Vladimir Naumovich Gribov, who worked on high-energy physics and quantum field theory, among other topics. The award recognizes “outstanding work by an early career researcher in theoretical particle physics and/or field theory.”

Eberhardt is recognized for his “groundbreaking contributions” to string theory, in particular his proof of the conjectured AdS/CFT correspondence in a tractable three-dimensional setting. The AdS/CFT correspondence was first proposed by Juan Maldacena, Carl P. Feinberg Professor in the School of Natural Sciences, in late 1997. Foundational contributions to this area of study have also been made by Edward Witten, Professor Emeritus in the School, whose seminal 1998 paper “Anti-de Sitter Space and Holography” proposed a precise correspondence between conformal field theory observables and those of supergravity. Eberhardt's proof is notable for providing “novel insights into the solution of three-dimensional gravity” and has achieved “significant progress in the computation of string amplitudes.”

The European Physical Society further cites Eberhardt’s work as combining “profound physical insight, technical virtuosity, and mathematical rigor,” which will continue to influence the development of his field in the coming years. 

Read more about the Gribov Medal on the EPS website.