Marcelo Gleiser
Encyclopedia
Marcelo Gleiser is a Brazil
ian physicist
and astronomer
.
, his M.Sc. degree in 1982 from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
, and his Ph.D.
in 1986 from King's College London
. After this he worked as a postdoc at Fermilab
until 1988 and from then until 1991 at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
. Since 1991, he has taught at Dartmouth College
, where he was awarded the Appleton Professorship of Natural Philosophy in 1999, and is currently a professor of physics and astronomy.
Gleiser's current research interests include the physics of the early Universe, the properties of solitons in quantum field theories, and questions related to the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the Universe. The author of over eighty papers in peer-reviewed journals, Gleiser has also written three popular books on cosmology and religion, A Tear at the Edge of Creation (2010), The Prophet and the Astronomer (2002), and The Dancing Universe (1997). Apart from many contributions to magazines and newspapers in the US and abroad, Gleiser writes a weekly science column in a supplement of the Brazilian Folha de São Paulo newspaper. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has been awarded the Presidential Faculty Fellows Award from the White House and the National Science Foundation. In Brazil, he received the José Reis Award for the Public Understanding of Science from the Brazilian National Research Council
. He has been featured in several TV documentaries, including "Stephen Hawking's Universe," the History Channel's "Beyond the Big Bang" (2007) and "How Life Began" (2008). In Brazil, his two science series for TV Globo's "Fantastico" were watched by over 30 million viewers. He is the co-founder of the science and culture blog 13.7 hosted by National Public Radio.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian physicist
Physicist
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...
and astronomer
Astronomer
An astronomer is a scientist who studies celestial bodies such as planets, stars and galaxies.Historically, astronomy was more concerned with the classification and description of phenomena in the sky, while astrophysics attempted to explain these phenomena and the differences between them using...
.
Biography
Gleiser received his bachelor's degree in 1981 from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de JaneiroPontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
The Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro is a private and non-profit Catholic university, located in Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil...
, his M.Sc. degree in 1982 from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is one of the largest federal universities of Brazil, where public universities comprise the majority of the best and most qualified institutions...
, and his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in 1986 from King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. After this he worked as a postdoc at Fermilab
Fermilab
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory , located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics...
until 1988 and from then until 1991 at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics
The Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics is a research institute of the University of California, Santa Barbara. KITP is one of the most renowned institutes for theoretical physics in the world. KITP programs bring theorists in physics and related fields together to work together on topics at...
. Since 1991, he has taught at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, where he was awarded the Appleton Professorship of Natural Philosophy in 1999, and is currently a professor of physics and astronomy.
Gleiser's current research interests include the physics of the early Universe, the properties of solitons in quantum field theories, and questions related to the origin of life on Earth and elsewhere in the Universe. The author of over eighty papers in peer-reviewed journals, Gleiser has also written three popular books on cosmology and religion, A Tear at the Edge of Creation (2010), The Prophet and the Astronomer (2002), and The Dancing Universe (1997). Apart from many contributions to magazines and newspapers in the US and abroad, Gleiser writes a weekly science column in a supplement of the Brazilian Folha de São Paulo newspaper. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and has been awarded the Presidential Faculty Fellows Award from the White House and the National Science Foundation. In Brazil, he received the José Reis Award for the Public Understanding of Science from the Brazilian National Research Council
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
The Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico is an organization of the Brazilian federal government under the Ministry of Science and Technology, dedicated to the promotion of scientific and technological research and to the formation of human resources for research in the...
. He has been featured in several TV documentaries, including "Stephen Hawking's Universe," the History Channel's "Beyond the Big Bang" (2007) and "How Life Began" (2008). In Brazil, his two science series for TV Globo's "Fantastico" were watched by over 30 million viewers. He is the co-founder of the science and culture blog 13.7 hosted by National Public Radio.