Dirac Prize
Encyclopedia
The Dirac Prize is the name of four prominent award
s in the field of theoretical physics
, computational chemistry
, and mathematics
, awarded by different organizations, named in honour of Professor Paul Dirac
, one of the great theoretical physicists of the 20th Century.
, Sydney, Australia, jointly with the Australian Institute of Physics on the occasion of the public Dirac Lecture. The Lecture and the Medal commemorate the visit to the university in 1975 of Professor Dirac, who gave five lectures there. The lectures were subsequently published as a book Directions of Physics (Wiley, 1978 – H. Hora and J. Shepanski, eds.). Professor Dirac donated the royalties from this book to the University for the establishment of the Dirac Lecture series. The prize includes a silver medal and honorarium. It was first awarded in 1979.
P.A.M. Dirac
. The award, given each year on August 8 (Dirac's birthday), was first awarded in 1985.
An international committee of distinguished scientists selects the winners from a list of nominated candidates. The Committee invites nominations from scientists working in the fields of theoretical physics or mathematics.
The Dirac Medal of the ICTP is not awarded to Nobel Laureates
, Fields Medal
ists, or Wolf Prize winners.
However, several Dirac Medallists have subsequently won one of these awards.
The medallists also receive a prize of US$ 5,000.
( Britain's and Ireland's main professional body for physicists) for "outstanding contributions to theoretical (including mathematical and computational) physics". The award, which includes a silver gilt medal and a £1000 prize, was decided upon by the Institute of Physics in 1985, and first granted in 1987.
Theoretical and Computational Chemists for "for the outstanding computational chemist in the world under the age of 40. The award was first granted in 1998.
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
s in the field of theoretical physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
, computational chemistry
Computational chemistry
Computational chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses principles of computer science to assist in solving chemical problems. It uses the results of theoretical chemistry, incorporated into efficient computer programs, to calculate the structures and properties of molecules and solids...
, and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, awarded by different organizations, named in honour of Professor Paul Dirac
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
, one of the great theoretical physicists of the 20th Century.
The Dirac Medal and Lecture (University of New South Wales)
The first-established prize is the Dirac Medal for the Advancement of Theoretical Physics, awarded by the University of New South WalesUniversity of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
, Sydney, Australia, jointly with the Australian Institute of Physics on the occasion of the public Dirac Lecture. The Lecture and the Medal commemorate the visit to the university in 1975 of Professor Dirac, who gave five lectures there. The lectures were subsequently published as a book Directions of Physics (Wiley, 1978 – H. Hora and J. Shepanski, eds.). Professor Dirac donated the royalties from this book to the University for the establishment of the Dirac Lecture series. The prize includes a silver medal and honorarium. It was first awarded in 1979.
Recipients
- 1979 Hannes AlfvenHannes AlfvénHannes Olof Gösta Alfvén was a Swedish electrical engineer, plasma physicist and winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on magnetohydrodynamics . He described the class of MHD waves now known as Alfvén waves...
- 1981 John Clive WardJohn Clive WardJohn Clive Ward , was a British-Australian physicist. His most famous creation was the Ward-Takahashi identity, originally known as "Ward Identity" . This celebrated result, in quantum electrodynamics, was inspired by a conjecture of Dyson and was disclosed in a one-half page letter typical of...
- 1983 Nicolaas BloembergenNicolaas BloembergenNicolaas Bloembergen is a Dutch-American physicist and Nobel laureate.He received his Ph.D. degree from University of Leiden in 1948; while pursuing his PhD at Harvard, Bloembergen also worked part-time as a graduate research assistant for Edward Mills Purcell at the MIT Radiation Laboratory...
- 1985 David PinesDavid PinesDavid Pines is the Founding Director of the Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter and the International Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter , Distinguished Professor of Physics, UC Davis, Research Professor of Physics and Professor...
- 1987 Robert HofstadterRobert HofstadterRobert Hofstadter was an American physicist. He was the joint winner of the 1961 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his pioneering studies of electron scattering in atomic nuclei and for his consequent discoveries concerning the structure of nucleons."-Biography :Born in New York City, he entered City...
- 1988 Klaus von KlitzingKlaus von KlitzingKlaus von Klitzing is a German physicist known for discovery of the integer quantum Hall Effect, for which he was awarded the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physics....
- 1989 Carlo RubbiaCarlo RubbiaCarlo Rubbia Knight Grand Cross is an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Simon van der Meer for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN.-Biography:...
& Kenneth G. WilsonKenneth G. WilsonKenneth Geddes Wilson is an American theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner.As an undergraduate at Harvard, he was a Putnam Fellow. He earned his PhD from Caltech in 1961, studying under Murray Gell-Mann.... - 1990 Norman F. Ramsey
- 1991 Herbert A. HauptmanHerbert A. HauptmanHerbert Aaron Hauptman was an American mathematician and Nobel laureate. He pioneered and developed a mathematical method that has changed the whole field of chemistry and opened a new era in research in determination of molecular structures of crystallized materials...
- 1992 Wolfgang PaulWolfgang PaulWolfgang Paul was a German physicist, who co-developed the non-magnetic quadrupole mass filter which laid the foundation for what we now call an ion trap...
- 1996 Edwin Salpeter
- 2002 Heinrich Hora
- 2003 Edward Shuryak
- 2004 Iosif KhriplovichIosif KhriplovichIosif Benzionovich Khriplovich is a Russian theoretical physicist who has made deep contributions in quantum field theory, atomic physics, and general relativity....
- 2006 Sir Roger Penrose
- 2008 Harald Fritzsch
- 2011 Lord May of Oxford
Dirac Medal of the ICTP
The Dirac Medal of the ICTP is given each year by the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in honour of physicistPhysicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
P.A.M. Dirac
Paul Dirac
Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac, OM, FRS was an English theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics...
. The award, given each year on August 8 (Dirac's birthday), was first awarded in 1985.
An international committee of distinguished scientists selects the winners from a list of nominated candidates. The Committee invites nominations from scientists working in the fields of theoretical physics or mathematics.
The Dirac Medal of the ICTP is not awarded to Nobel Laureates
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
, Fields Medal
Fields Medal
The Fields Medal, officially known as International Medal for Outstanding Discoveries in Mathematics, is a prize awarded to two, three, or four mathematicians not over 40 years of age at each International Congress of the International Mathematical Union , a meeting that takes place every four...
ists, or Wolf Prize winners.
However, several Dirac Medallists have subsequently won one of these awards.
The medallists also receive a prize of US$ 5,000.
Recipients
- 1985 Edward WittenEdward WittenEdward Witten is an American theoretical physicist with a focus on mathematical physics who is currently a professor of Mathematical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study....
, Yakov Zel'dovich - 1986 Alexander Polyakov, Yoichiro NambuYoichiro Nambuis a Japanese-born American physicist, currently a professor at the University of Chicago. Known for his contributions to the field of theoretical physics, he was awarded a one-half share of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2008 for the discovery of the mechanism of spontaneous broken symmetry in...
- 1987 Bruno ZuminoBruno ZuminoBruno Zumino is an Italian theoretical physicist and emeritus faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. He got his bachelor degree from the University of Rome in 1945...
, Bryce DeWittBryce DeWittBryce Seligman DeWitt was a theoretical physicist renowned for advancing gravity and field theories.-Biography:... - 1988 David J. Gross, Efim S. FradkinEfim S. FradkinEfim Samoilovich Fradkin was a Russian physicist.Fradkin was born in Schedrin near Zhlobin , then in the Soviet Union in 1924....
- 1989 John H. Schwarz, Michael GreenMichael Green (physicist)Michael Boris Green FRS is a British physicist and one of the pioneers of string theory. Currently a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and a Fellow in Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge in England, he succeeded Stephen Hawking on 1 November 2009...
- 1990 Ludwig Faddeev, Sidney ColemanSidney ColemanSidney Richard Coleman was an American theoretical physicist who studied under Murray Gell-Mann.- Life and work :Sidney Coleman grew up on the Far North Side of Chicago...
- 1991 Jeffrey GoldstoneJeffrey GoldstoneJeffrey Goldstone is a British-born theoretical physicist and an emeritus physics faculty at MIT Center for Theoretical Physics.He worked at the University of Cambridge until 1977....
, Stanley MandelstamStanley MandelstamStanley Mandelstam is a South African-born theoretical physicist. He introduced the relativistically invariant Mandelstam variables into particle physics in 1958 as a convenient coordinate system for formulating his double dispersion relations... - 1992 Nikolai Bogoliubov, Yakov G. SinaiYakov G. SinaiYakov Grigorevich Sinai is an influential mathematician working in the theory of dynamical systems, in mathematical physics and in probability theory. His work has shaped the modern metric theory of dynamical systems...
- 1993 Daniel Z. FreedmanDaniel Z. FreedmanDaniel Z. Freedman is an American theoretical physicist. He is a Professor of Physics and Applied Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . He is known for his work in supergravity.-Education:...
, Peter van NieuwenhuizenPeter van NieuwenhuizenPeter van Nieuwenhuizen is a Dutch physicist. He is now a distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University in the United States. Van Nieuwenhuizen is best-known for his discovery of supergravity with Sergio Ferrara and Daniel Z...
, Sergio FerraraSergio FerraraSergio Ferrara is an Italian physicist working on theoretical physics of elementary particles and mathematical physics. He is renowned for the discovery of theories introducing supersymmetry as a symmetry of elementary particles Sergio Ferrara (born 1945) is an Italian physicist working on... - 1994 Frank WilczekFrank WilczekFrank Anthony Wilczek is a theoretical physicist from the United States and a Nobel laureate. He is currently the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ....
- 1995 Michael Berry
- 1996 Martinus J.G. Veltman, Tullio ReggeTullio ReggeTullio Regge is an Italian theoretical physicist. He obtained a degree in physics from the University of Turin in 1952, and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Rochester in 1957 under the direction of Robert Marshak. From 1958 to 1959 Regge held a post at the Max Planck Institute for...
- 1997 David OliveDavid OliveDavid Olive CBE FLSW FRS, is a British theoretical physicist. Olive made fundamental contributions to the string theory and duality theory. He was Professor of physics at Imperial College, London...
, Peter Goddard - 1998 Roman JackiwRoman JackiwRoman W. Jackiw is a theoretical physicist and Dirac Medallist. Born in Poland, Jackiw received his PhD from Cornell University in 1966 under Hans Bethe and Kenneth Wilson...
, Stephen L. AdlerStephen L. AdlerStephen Louis Adler is an American physicist specializing in elementary particles and field theory.-Biography:Adler was born in New York City. He received an A.B. degree at Harvard University in 1961, where he was a Putnam Fellow, and a Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1964... - 1999 Giorgio ParisiGiorgio ParisiGiorgio Parisi is an Italian theoretical physicist. He is best known for his works concerning statistical mechanics, quantum field theory and various aspects of physics, mathematics and science in general....
- 2000 Helen QuinnHelen QuinnHelen Rhoda Quinn is an Australian-born particle physicist. She went to school in Victoria, Australia and entered college at the University of Melbourne before moving to the USA and transferring to Stanford University. She received her Ph.D. from Stanford in 1967, at a time when less than 2% of...
, Howard GeorgiHoward GeorgiHoward Mason Georgi III, born January 6, 1947 in San Bernardino, California, is Harvard College Professor and Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics at Harvard University...
, Jogesh PatiJogesh PatiJogesh C. Pati is an Indian American theoretical physicist at the University of Maryland, College Park.-Biography:... - 2001 John Hopfield
- 2002 Alan GuthAlan GuthAlan Harvey Guth is an American theoretical physicist and cosmologist. Guth has researched elementary particle theory...
, Andrei LindeAndrei LindeAndrei Dmitriyevich Linde is a Russian-American theoretical physicist and professor of Physics at Stanford University. Dr. Linde is best known for his work on the concept of the inflationary universe. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Moscow State University. In 1975, Linde was...
, Paul SteinhardtPaul SteinhardtPaul J. Steinhardt is the Albert Einstein Professor of Science at Princeton University and a professor of theoretical physics. He received his B.S. at the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Physics at Harvard University... - 2003 Robert KraichnanRobert KraichnanRobert Harry Kraichnan , a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico, was an American theoretical physicist best known for his work on the theory of fluid turbulence.- Life :...
, Vladimir E. ZakharovVladimir E. ZakharovVladimir Evgen'evich Zakharov is a Soviet and Russian mathematician and physicist. He is currently Regents' Professor of mathematics at The University of Arizona and director of the Mathematical Physics Sector at the Lebedev Physical Institute... - 2004 Curtis CallanCurtis CallanCurtis Callan is a theoretical physicist and a professor at Princeton University. He has conducted research in gauge theory, string theory, instantons, black holes, strong interactions, and many other topics...
, James BjorkenJames BjorkenJames Daniel "BJ" Bjorken is one of the world's foremost theoretical physicists. He was a Putnam Fellow in 1954, received a BS in physics from MIT in 1956, and obtained his PhD from Stanford University in 1959... - 2005 Patrick A. LeePatrick A. LeePatrick A. Lee is a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .-Awards:*Dirac Medal, 2005 *Oliver Buckley Prize -Publications:...
, Sir Samuel Frederick Edwards - 2006 Peter ZollerPeter ZollerPeter Zoller is a theoretical physicist from Austria. He is Professor at the University of Innsbruck and works on quantum optics and quantum information and is best known for his pioneering research on quantum computing and quantum communication and for bridging quantum optics and solid state...
- 2007 Jean IliopoulosJohn IliopoulosJohn Iliopoulos is a Greek physicist and the first person to present the Standard Model of particle physics in a single report. He is best known for his prediction of the charm quark with Sheldon Lee Glashow and Luciano Maiani...
, Luciano MaianiLuciano MaianiLuciano Maiani is a San Marino citizen physicist best known for his prediction of the charm quark with Sheldon Lee Glashow and John Iliopoulos .-Academic history:... - 2008 Joe Polchinski, Juan Maldacena, Cumrun VafaCumrun VafaCumrun Vafa is an Iranian-American leading string theorist from Harvard University where he started as a Harvard Junior Fellow. He is a recipient of the 2008 Dirac Medal.-Birth and education:...
- 2009 Roberto CarRoberto CarRoberto Car is an Italian physicist, who works on simulation of molecular dynamics phenomena.-Life:Car studied physics and attained a doctorate in 1971 in nuclear technology at the Politecnico di Milano...
, Michele ParrinelloMichele ParrinelloMichele Parrinello is an Italian physicist particularly known for his work in molecular dynamics... - 2010 Nicola CabibboNicola CabibboNicola Cabibbo was an Italian physicist, best known for his work on the weak interaction. He was also the president of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics from 1983 to 1992, and from 1993 until his death he was the president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences...
, George SudarshanGeorge SudarshanEnnackal Chandy George Sudarshan , also E.C.G. Sudarshan, is a prominent Indian American physicist, author, and professor at The University of Texas at Austin.-Early life:... - 2011 Edouard BrezinEdouard BrezinÉdouard Brézin is a French theoretical physicist. He is professor at Université Paris 6, working at the laboratory for theoretical physics of the École normale supérieure since 1986....
, John CardyJohn CardyJohn Lawrence Cardy FRS is a British theoretical physicist at the University of Oxford. He is best known for his work in theoretical condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics, and in particular for research on critical phenomena and conformal field theory.He was an undergraduate and...
, Alexander ZamolodchikovAlexander ZamolodchikovAlexander Borissowitsch Zamolodchikov is a Russian physicist, known for his contributions to condensed matter physics and string theory.Born near Dubna,...
Paul Dirac Medal and Prize
The Paul Dirac Medal and Prize is awarded annually by the Institute of PhysicsInstitute of Physics
The Institute of Physics is a scientific charity devoted to increasing the practice, understanding and application of physics. It has a worldwide membership of around 40,000....
( Britain's and Ireland's main professional body for physicists) for "outstanding contributions to theoretical (including mathematical and computational) physics". The award, which includes a silver gilt medal and a £1000 prize, was decided upon by the Institute of Physics in 1985, and first granted in 1987.
Recipients
- 1987 Stephen HawkingStephen HawkingStephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
- 1988 John Stewart BellJohn Stewart BellJohn Stewart Bell FRS was a British physicist from Northern Ireland , and the originator of Bell's theorem, a significant theorem in quantum physics regarding hidden variable theories.- Early life and work :...
- 1989 Roger PenroseRoger PenroseSir Roger Penrose OM FRS is an English mathematical physicist and Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College...
- 1990 Michael Berry
- 1991 Rudolf PeierlsRudolf PeierlsSir Rudolf Ernst Peierls, CBE was a German-born British physicist. Rudolf Peierls had a major role in Britain's nuclear program, but he also had a role in many modern sciences...
- 1992 Anthony Leggett
- 1993 David ThoulessDavid ThoulessDavid James Thouless is a condensed matter physicist and Wolf Prize winner.Thouless earned his PhD at Cornell University under Hans Bethe. He was a professor of mathematical physics at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom before becoming a professor of physics at the University of...
- 1994 Volker HeineVolker HeineVolker Heine FRS is a New Zealand-British physicist.He was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School and the University of Otago, then Clare College, Cambridge where he became a fellow and professor. He obtained his PhD in physics in Cambridge as student of Sir Nevill Mott.He was elected Fellow of...
- 1995 Daniel WallsDaniel Frank WallsDaniel Walls was a theoretical physicist specialising in quantum optics.Dan Walls gained a BSc in physics and mathematics and a first class honours MSc in physics at the University of Auckland. He then went to Harvard as a Fulbright Scholar, obtaining his PhD in 1969, under Roy J. Glauber...
- 1996 John PendryJohn PendrySir John Brian Pendry, FRS FInstP is an English theoretical physicist known for his research into refractive indexes and creation of the first practical "Invisibility Cloak"...
- 1997 Peter HiggsPeter HiggsPeter Ware Higgs, FRS, FRSE, FKC , is an English theoretical physicist and an emeritus professor at the University of Edinburgh....
- 1998 David DeutschDavid DeutschDavid Elieser Deutsch, FRS is an Israeli-British physicist at the University of Oxford. He is a non-stipendiary Visiting Professor in the Department of Atomic and Laser Physics at the Centre for Quantum Computation in the Clarendon Laboratory of the University of Oxford...
- 1999 Ian Percival
- 2000 John CardyJohn CardyJohn Lawrence Cardy FRS is a British theoretical physicist at the University of Oxford. He is best known for his work in theoretical condensed matter physics and statistical mechanics, and in particular for research on critical phenomena and conformal field theory.He was an undergraduate and...
- 2001 Brian Ridley
- 2002 John Hannay
- 2003 Christopher HullChris Hull (physicist)Chris Hull is a professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London. Hull is known for his work on string theory, M-theory, and generalized complex structures...
- 2004 Michael GreenMichael Green (physicist)Michael Boris Green FRS is a British physicist and one of the pioneers of string theory. Currently a professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics and a Fellow in Clare Hall at the University of Cambridge in England, he succeeded Stephen Hawking on 1 November 2009...
- 2005 John EllisJohn Ellis (physicist)Jonathan Richard Ellis FRS is a British theoretical physicist who is currently Clerk Maxwell Professor of Theoretical Physics at King's College London. After completing his secondary education at Highgate School, he attended Cambridge University, earning his Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics...
- 2006 Mike Gillan
- 2007 David Sherrington
- 2008 Bryan Webber
- 2009 Mike Cates
- 2010 James BinneyJames BinneyJames Jeffrey Binney, FRS, FInstP is a British astrophysicist. He is currently a Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, where he is head of the Sub-Department of Theoretical Physics as well as a Professorial Fellow at Merton College...
- 2011 Christopher IshamChristopher IshamChristopher Isham is a theoretical physicist at Imperial College London. His main research interests are quantum gravity and foundational studies in quantum theory. He was the inventor of an approach to temporal quantum logic called the HPO formalism, and has worked on loop quantum gravity and...
Dirac Medal of the WATOC
The Dirac Medal is awarded annually by The World Association ofTheoretical and Computational Chemists for "for the outstanding computational chemist in the world under the age of 40. The award was first granted in 1998.
Recipients
- 1998 Timothy J. Lee
- 1999 Peter M. W. Gill
- 2000 Jiali Gao
- 2001 Martin Kaupp
- 2002 Jerzy Cioslowski
- 2003 Peter Schreiner
- 2004 Jan MartinJan MartinJan Elizabeth Martin is a retired female field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that finished sixth at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. She was born in Auckland.-References:...
- 2005 Ursula Roethlisberger
- 2006 Lucas Visscher
- 2007 Anna KrylovAnna KrylovAnna Krylov is a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Southern California working in the area of computational quantum chemistry.Born in Donetsk, Ukraine, Anna Krylov received her M.Sc...
- 2008 Kenneth RuudKenneth RuudKenneth Ruud is professor of chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Tromsø, Norway.He is author or coauthor of more than 150 scientific articles and director of the Centre for Theoretical and Computational Chemistry in Tromsø...
- 2009 Jeremy Harvey
- 2010 Daniel Crawford
- 2011 Leticia González