Rashid Sunyaev Awarded Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics

Rashid A. Sunyaev, the Maureen and John Hendricks Visiting Professor in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, has won the 2012 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics. Sunyaev was recognized for his contributions to the understanding of the early universe and the properties of black holes. He is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching, Germany, and Chief Scientist at the Russian Academy of Sciences Space Research Institute. The medal will be presented April 26 by the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.