I am a theoretical physicist, Hearne Chair of Theoretical Physics at Louisiana State University, and Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. I study the physical world by combining mathematical analysis and observation. I try to formulate and apply concepts and principles (physical laws) to relate observations of physical phenomena, such as superconductivity, to fundamental properties of matter and radiation. The laws of physics (e.g. quantum mechanics) are expressed in mathematical equations, so in practice I try to formulate physical questions as mathematical problems. I started research in the nuclear theory group at Stony Brook investigating matter under conditions thought to exist in the interiors of cold, dense stars called neutron stars. My current research is in the fields of condensed matter physics, quantum field theory and quantum information science.

My academic training and professional service are as follows: I received my BSc in Engineering Physics at Colorado School of Mines in Golden (1975), continued my graduate work at SUNY-Stony Brook where I received a Ph.D. in physics in 1980. I did post-doctoral research at Princeton University (1980-83), NORDITA in Copenhagen and Helsinki University of Technology (1983-84), then joined the Princeton faculty (1983-1987). I have served on the Executive Committee of DCMP of the American Physical Society, most recently as Secretary-Treasurer, and I am a long standing member and former officer of the Aspen Center for Physics. In addition to Princeton Unviersity I have held faculty appointments at University of Copenhagen and Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, as well as research appointments at NORDITA (Denmark) and the CNRS (France). From 1987 to 2022 I was professor of Physics at Northwestern University. In 2022 I joined the faculty of the College of Science at Louisiana State University as Hearne Chair of Theoretical Physics.

Location

Baton Rouge, LA USA

Disciplines

• Physics
• Applied Mathematics
• Applied Physics
• Education

Affiliation

Hearne Institute of Theoretical Physics, Louisiana State University & Department of Physics, Northwestern University