Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Encyclopedia
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (shortened to Perimeter Institute or simply PI) is an independent, resident-based research institute devoted to foundational issues in 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...

 located in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Perimeter Institute was founded in 1999 by Mike Lazaridis
Mike Lazaridis
Mihalis "Mike" Lazaridis , OC, O.Ont is a Greek Canadian businessman. He is the founder and co-CEO of Research In Motion , which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. He is also a former chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada...

. In addition to the research operations, Perimeter Institute also shares the importance of science, basic research and the power 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...

 with the wider community through its award-winning outreach program.

History and mission

Lazaridis' initial donation of $100 million was announced on October 23, 2000. A subsequent personal donation of $50 million was made on June 4, 2008. Research operations began in 2001. Along with its research activities, Perimeter Institute operates an international outreach program. It hosts the International Summer School for Young Physicists every summer, which is a physics camp for high school students.

Under the stewardship of Howard Burton, the Institute's first Executive Director, PI initially operated out of Waterloo's historic post office on King Street. In October 2004, it moved into its custom-built facility on Caroline Street, across Silver Lake from Waterloo Park. The building was designed by Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 architect firm Saucier + Perrotte, which received a Governor General's Medal for Architecture for the design in May 2006. The building next to PI, housing the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery
Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery
The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery is a public art gallery located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The CCGG is a national gallery exhibiting Canadian silica artwork, including ceramic, glass and enamel work...

, won the same award for its architects in 1997. Perimeter Institute's building features an open glass facade along the north and west sides, contrasting with the slate-black metal walls of much of the rest of the building. Each researcher's office, as well as various lounge areas, features a full-wall blackboard
Chalkboard
A chalkboard or blackboard is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulfate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Chalkboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone...

 for working out and theorizing in solo or group efforts. The Ontario budget, announced in March 2006, included a commitment to provide $50 million in funding to PI from the Ministry of Research and Innovation
Minister of Research and Innovation (Ontario)
The Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation is a government ministry of the Province of Ontario. The current minister is Glen Murray.-History:...

.

In November 2008, it was announced that prominent physicist Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen 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...

 would take the position of Distinguished Research Chair, a visiting position, at the Institute.

PI is building on its promising start with the goal of becoming one of the world’s leading centres for foundational theoretical physics. It seeks to act as a global resource for the field, promoting research excellence and stimulating major scientific breakthroughs.

Research

Perimeter Institute is a major centre for 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...

 research, attracting a diverse community of resident and visiting scientists from around the world. Since research operations began in the fall of 2001, Perimeter Institute has grown to include close to 100 resident researchers.

Researchers at PI build on the two great revolutionary advances of 20th century physics – the relativity and quantum theories:

1) Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...

 theorised that space and time are not separate entities, but are different aspects of a single geometrical entity called spacetime
Spacetime
In physics, spacetime is any mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. Spacetime is usually interpreted with space as being three-dimensional and time playing the role of a fourth dimension that is of a different sort from the spatial dimensions...

, which dynamically twists and warps as it dances with matter and energy. This dance, called gravity, governs the behaviour of the universe on large scales, from the solar system and galaxies to the entire cosmos as a whole.

2) The fathers of quantum theory, on the other hand, such as Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...

, Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...

, and Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Schrödinger
Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist and theoretical biologist who was one of the fathers of quantum mechanics, and is famed for a number of important contributions to physics, especially the Schrödinger equation, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1933...

, discovered strange new laws that were eventually seen to govern the behaviour of all matter and forces on very small scales – the atomic and subatomic worlds, with the exception of gravity, whose quantum nature continues to elude physicists.

Both are profoundly powerful theories which not only explain, with extraordinary accuracy, many previously puzzling aspects of the universe, but have also successfully predicted a wealth of completely unexpected new phenomena, from black holes and gravitational waves to lasers and quantum teleportation
Quantum teleportation
Quantum teleportation, or entanglement-assisted teleportation, is a process by which a qubit can be transmitted exactly from one location to another, without the qubit being transmitted through the intervening space...

.

However, after decades of experience with these two theories, it is now widely recognized that they mark only the beginning. One of the greatest challenges for 21st century theoretical physicists, and the core of research at PI, is to find a single, deeper theory that unifies these two pillars of our understanding of the universe. In its endeavour to achieve this, PI's scientific operations involve cross-disciplinary research in Condensed Matter
Condensed Matter
Condensed matter may refer to several things*Condensed matter physics, the study of the physical properties of condensed phases of matter*European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, a scientific journal published by EDP sciences...

, Cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...

 & Gravitation
Gravitation
Gravitation, or gravity, is a natural phenomenon by which physical bodies attract with a force proportional to their mass. Gravitation is most familiar as the agent that gives weight to objects with mass and causes them to fall to the ground when dropped...

, Particle Physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...

, Quantum Foundations, Quantum Gravity
Quantum gravity
Quantum gravity is the field of theoretical physics which attempts to develop scientific models that unify quantum mechanics with general relativity...

, Quantum Information
Quantum information
In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...

, Superstring Theory
Superstring theory
Superstring theory is an attempt to explain all of the particles and fundamental forces of nature in one theory by modelling them as vibrations of tiny supersymmetric strings...

 and related areas.

Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminar Archive (PIRSA)

Research activities at PI are accessible to the global scientific community via the internet through the Perimeter Institute Recorded Seminar Archive (PIRSA). PIRSA is a permanent, free, searchable, and citable archive of recorded seminars, conferences, workshops, and outreach events.

On-demand seminars with video and timed presentation materials can be accessed in Windows and Flash formats and offer MP3 audio files and PDFs of the supporting materials. A split-sceen format allows viewers to watch seminars from the perspective of an audience member, as well as being able zoom-in, pause, and examine specific slides, equations, or figures more closely.

Outreach programs

The Perimeter Institute’s Educational outreach targets students, teachers and the public. This include physics lectures, dinners and musical performances. Its Black Hole Bistro often hosts reservation dinners featuring jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

, baroque and other ensembles
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

. Also included are public lecture playbacks, in-class teaching resources, science camp, on location workshop opportunities.

Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future festival

Held in October, 2009, the Quantum to Cosmos: Ideas for the Future festival (Q2C Festival) took a global audience from the strange subatomic world to the outer frontiers of the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...

.

The events commemorated the 10th anniversary of Perimeter Institute’s creation, contributed to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

’s National Science and Technology
Science and technology
Science and technology is a term of art used to encompass the relationship between science and technology. It frequently appears within titles of academic disciplines and government offices.-See also:...

 week activities, and provided one of the world’s most interesting destinations during 2009’s International Year of Astronomy
International Year of Astronomy
The International Year of Astronomy was a year-long celebration of astronomy that took place in 2009 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the first recorded astronomical observations with a telescope by Galileo Galilei and the publication of Johannes Kepler's Astronomia nova in the 17th century...

. The festival content was on-site, online and on TV, the latter courtesy of TVO
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...

, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

’s public educational media organization and the official Presenting Media Partner for the Q2C Festival.

The event was the largest and most comprehensive science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

 outreach event ever held in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The scope and scale included events and activities spanning: lectures, panel discussions, pub talks, cultural activities, a PI documentary premiere (The Quantum Tamers: Revealing Our Weird and Wired Future), sci-fi film festival, an art exhibit and the hugely popular Physica Phantastica exhibit centre, a 5000 square feet (464.5 m²) space filled with demonstrations, hands-on activities, experiments and an immersive 3D tour of the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...

 narrated by Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen 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...

.

The Q2C Festival attracted some 40,000 attendees (including over 6,000 in the secondary school program that brought students from Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 and New York State
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 and nearly one million viewers – and counting – through online streaming, video-on-demand services and special television broadcasts. Special additions of TVO
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...

’s “The Agenda with Steve Paikin
The Agenda
The Agenda with Steve Paikin is the flagship current affairs program of TVOntario, Ontario’s public broadcaster. The show practises what anchor and senior editor Steve Paikin calls "long-form" journalism. Each hour-long program tackles no more than two topics, and often only one...

”, filmed live in PI’s Atrium in Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....

 attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers from across Canada with just five broadcasts.

While the festival lasted 10 days, the impact continues – individuals can still view archived Q2C Festival lectures online, download podcasts and animations, and order educational presentations.

ISSYP

The International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP) is an outreach program that brings a group of forty high school students each year to learn about cutting-edge theoretical physics. With lectures on Quantum Mechanics, Special Relativity, and General Relativity given by physicist Richard Epp
Richard Epp (physicist)
Richard J. Epp is a physicist and lecturer currently working at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.Richard Epp received his master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba and also completed his PhD in theoretical physics at the...

 and high school teacher Dave Fish, the program is able to introduce some deep math with more emphasis on the conceptual side of these fields.

Students are housed at the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...

, and spend hours each day with Perimeter's researchers, learning through interaction with their peers as well as from keynote speeches by prominent physicists.

The program teaches both mathematics and physics in core sessions, and offers an introduction to the research experience through mentoring sessions with researchers at the institute. Keynote talks have come from both post-doctoral researchers and long-term researchers at the institute, including Lee Smolin
Lee Smolin
Lee Smolin is an American theoretical physicist, a researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Waterloo. He is married to Dina Graser, a communications lawyer in Toronto. His brother is David M...

 and Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara
Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara
Fotini G. Markopoulou-Kalamara is a Greek theoretical physicist interested in foundational mathematics and quantum mechanics. She is a faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and is an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo.Markopoulou received her Ph.D...

. Students have been introduced to topics such as: black hole
Black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime from which nothing, not even light, can escape. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass will deform spacetime to form a black hole. Around a black hole there is a mathematically defined surface called an event horizon that...

s, quantum space-time, string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...

, spin network
Spin network
In physics, a spin network is a type of diagram which can be used to represent states and interactions between particles and fields in quantum mechanics. From a mathematical perspective, the diagrams are a concise way to represent multilinear functions and functions between representations of...

s, quantum computing
Quantum computer
A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...

, and quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...

 interpretations.

Since its creation in 2003, the program has expanded from a group of twenty students from across Canada to two separate groups of fifty students each, from six continents around the world, in 2006.

82 students from 6 continents participated in ISSYP 2008. Besides studying the concepts involved in quantum physics, special relativity
Special relativity
Special relativity is the physical theory of measurement in an inertial frame of reference proposed in 1905 by Albert Einstein in the paper "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies".It generalizes Galileo's...

, general relativity
General relativity
General relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...

 and black holes, participants also visited various tourist attractions within Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

 and Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. Such attractions have included the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...

, and Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

.

Joint masters-level program

In partnership with the University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...

, PI launched Perimeter Scholars International (PSI), a concentrated Masters level course for exceptional students who wish to become researchers in theoretical physics. The 10-month course, taught at PI by outstanding international lecturers, started in August 2009, and is expected to eventually draw 50 scholars per year. Participants are brought to the cutting edge of fundamental physics across a wide range of research disciplines, and conduct a specialized research project under the supervision of a faculty member at PI or one of the local universities. The Masters degree is issued by the nearby University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...

.

The convocation of the inaugural pilot class of 28 outstanding research trainees from 17 countries, including 6 women, was held at Perimeter Institute on June 20, 2010.

Doctoral studies

Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics also hosts exceptional PhD students wishing to pursue full-time graduate studies under the supervision of a PI faculty member. PhD students receive their doctoral degrees from a university partner, such as the University of Waterloo.

Courses

Perimeter Institute offers a number of planned courses each year, including cross-listed programs with universities and mini-courses given by PI Faculty, Associate Faculty, and Visiting Researchers. In addition to providing excellent learning opportunities for young researchers at PI, the courses are made available to all students enrolled in surrounding universities. The popular courses are attended by students from University of Waterloo
University of Waterloo
The University of Waterloo is a comprehensive public university in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The school was founded in 1957 by Drs. Gerry Hagey and Ira G. Needles, and has since grown to an institution of more than 30,000 students, faculty, and staff...

, University of Western Ontario
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario is a public research university located in London, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus covers of land, with the Thames River cutting through the eastern portion of the main campus. Western administers its programs through 12 different faculties and...

, McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...

, University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...

, University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

, York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....

, and other centres.

Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute

Designed by Teeple Architects
Teeple Architects
Teeple Architects is an architecture firm based in Toronto, Canada. Headed by Stephen Teeple, its projects have won many awards, including several Governor General's medals.-Projects:*Toronto Public Library – Humber Bay Library renovation, Toronto, 1996...

, a new 55000 square feet (5,109.7 m²) expansion, the Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute, is presently under construction and is the first building to which Stephen Hawking, a Perimeter Institute Distinguished Research Chairhas ever lent his name. Though still under construction, The Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute was honoured by leaders in the building industry as the first-ever Gold Seal-managed project in Ontario. The expansion is expected to be completed in Summer 2011. It is planned to attain LEED Silver certification. The Centre's grand opening will be in September 2011 and will be attended by Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen 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...

.

Researchers

  • Yakir Aharonov
    Yakir Aharonov
    Yakir Aharonov is an Israeli physicist specializing in quantum physics. He is a Professor of Theoretical Physics and the James J. Farley Professor of Natural Philosophy at Chapman University in California. He is also a distinguished professor in Perimeter Institute.He also serves as a professor...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair; Wolf Prize
    Wolf Prize in Physics
    The Wolf Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Medicine and Arts. The Prize is often considered the most prestigious...

     (1998)
  • Dorit Aharonov
    Dorit Aharonov
    Dorit Aharonov is an Israeli computer scientist specializing in quantum computing.Aharonov graduated from Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a BSc in Mathematics and Physics in 1994. She then graduated from Weizmann Institute of Science with an MSc in Physics...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Nima Arkani-Hamed
    Nima Arkani-Hamed
    Nima Arkani-Hamed is a leading Canadian American theoretical physicist with interests in high-energy physics, string theory and cosmology....

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Niayesh Afshordi -- Associate Faculty Member(cosmology and gravitation)
  • Neta Bahcall -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Brian Batell -- Postdoctoral Researcher (particle physics)
  • Joseph Ben Geloun -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • Hector Bombin -- Postdoctoral Researcher (condensed matter/quantum information)
  • Valentin Bonzom-- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • Latham Boyle -- Faculty Member (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Alex Buchel -- Associate Faculty Member (superstring theory)
  • Cliff Burgess -- Associate Faculty Member(particle physics/cosmology and gravitation)
  • Freddy Cachazo -- Faculty Member (superstring theory)
  • Giulio Chiribella -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum foundations/quantum information)
  • Juan Ignacio Cirac -- Distinguished Research Chair; Benjamin Franklin Medal
    Benjamin Franklin Medal (Franklin Institute)
    The Benjamin Franklin Medal is a science and engineering award presented by the Franklin Institute, of Philadelphia, PA, USA.-Laureates:*1998 - Emmanuel Desurvire *1998 - Robert B. Laughlin *1998 - David N. Payne...

     (2010); founding figure in quantum computing
  • Richard Cleve -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information)
  • Roger Colbeck -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum foundations/quantum information)
  • Florian Conrady -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • Keith Copsey -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation/superstring theory)
  • David Cory
    David Cory
    David G. Cory is a professor at the University of Waterloo, as of 2011.He is working that the Institute for Quantum Computing, and is also associated with the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology....

     -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information)
  • Sarah Croke -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum information)
  • Eleonora Dell'Aquila -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Georgi Dvali -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Adrienne Erickcek -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Cecilia Flori -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • Laurent Freidel
    Laurent Freidel
    Laurent Freidel is a physicist, working at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He is working in loop quantum gravity and spin foam models of quantum gravity...

     -- Faculty Member (quantum gravity)
  • Christopher Fuchs -- Visiting Researcher (quantum foundations)
  • Ghazal Geshniziani -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Tom Giblin -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Simone Giombi -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Jaume Gomis -- Faculty Member (superstring theory)
  • Daniel Gottesman
    Daniel Gottesman
    Daniel Gottesman is a physicist, known for his work regarding quantum error correction, in particular the invention of the stabilizer formalism for quantum error-correcting codes, and the Gottesman–Knill theorem...

     -- Faculty Member (quantum information)
  • Razvan Gurau -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • Alioscia Hamma -- Distinguished Research Fellow (condensed matter/quantum foundations/quantum information)
  • Chad Hanna -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Lucien Hardy -- Faculty Member (quantum foundations)
  • Stephen Hawking
    Stephen Hawking
    Stephen 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...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair; Wolf Prize (1988); Copley Medal
    Copley Medal
    The Copley Medal is an award given by the Royal Society of London for "outstanding achievements in research in any branch of science, and alternates between the physical sciences and the biological sciences"...

     (2006); Dirac Medal and Prize
    Dirac Prize
    The Dirac Prize is the name of four prominent awards 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.- The Dirac Medal and Lecture...

     (1987); Maxwell Medal and Prize
    Maxwell Medal and Prize
    The Maxwell Medal and Prize is one of the principal awards made annually by the Institute of Physics. The award is made for outstanding contributions to theoretical physics and is intended to recognize theoretical physicists early in their careers....

     (1976); Albert Einstein Medal
    Albert Einstein Medal
    The Albert Einstein Medal is an award presented by the Albert Einstein Society in Bern. First given in 1979, the award is presented to people who have "rendered outstanding services" in connection with Albert Einstein each year.- Recipients :...

     (1979); Albert Einstein Award
    Albert Einstein Award
    The Albert Einstein Award was an award in theoretical physics that was established to recognize high achievement in the natural sciences. It was endowed by the Lewis and Rosa Strauss Memorial Fund in honor of Albert Einstein's 70th birthday...

     (1978); Eddington Medal
    Eddington Medal
    The Eddington Medal, named after Sir Arthur Eddington, is awarded by the Royal Astronomical Society nominally once every two years for investigations of outstanding merit in theoretical astrophysics.- Recipients :* 1953 Georges Lemaître...

     (1975)
  • Patrick Hayden
    Patrick Hayden (scientist)
    Patrick Hayden is a Canadian computer scientist active in the fields of quantum information theory and quantum computing. He is an associate professor in the School of Computer Science at McGill University where he holds the Canada research chair in physics of information, and a distinguished...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Janet Hung -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Chris Isham -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Zhengfeng Ji -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum information)
  • Matthew Johnson -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Leo Kadanoff
    Leo Kadanoff
    Leo Philip Kadanoff is an American physicist. He is a professor of physics at the University of Chicago and a former President of the American Physical Society . He has contributed to the fields of statistical physics, chaos theory, and theoretical condensed matter physics.-Biography:Kadanoff...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair; Wolf Prize (1980); Lorentz Medal
    Lorentz Medal
    Lorentz Medal is a prize awarded every four years by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. It was established in 1925 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the doctorate of Hendrik Lorentz. This solid gold medal is given for important contributions to theoretical physics, though...

     (2006); Boltzmann Medal
    Boltzmann Medal
    The Boltzmann Medal is the most important prize awarded to physicists that obtain new results concerning statistical mechanics; it is named after the celebrated physicist Ludwig Boltzmann...

     (1989); Buckley Prize (1977)
  • Adrian Kent -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum foundations/quantum information)
  • Tim Koslowski -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • Raymond Laflamme
    Raymond Laflamme
    Raymond Laflamme is a physicist and the co-founder and current director of the Institute for Quantum Computing. He is also an associate faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He was a doctoral student of Stephen Hawking at the University of Cambridge. He is responsible for...

     -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information); founding figure in quantum information theory
  • Louis Leblond -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation/superstring theory)
  • Luis Lehner -- Associate Faculty Member (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Jean-Luc Lehners -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Renate Loll
    Renate Loll
    Renate Loll is a physicist who works at the , The Netherlands. She received her Ph.D. from , London, in 1989. In 2001 she joined the permanent staff of the ITP, after spending several years at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Golm, Germany...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara
    Fotini Markopoulou-Kalamara
    Fotini G. Markopoulou-Kalamara is a Greek theoretical physicist interested in foundational mathematics and quantum mechanics. She is a faculty member at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and is an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo.Markopoulou received her Ph.D...

     -- Faculty Member (quantum gravity)
  • Nicolas Menicucci -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum information)
  • Akimasa Miyake -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum information)
  • Leonardo Modesto -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum gravity)
  • John Moffat -- Senior Researcher Affiliate(cosmology and gravitation/particle physics)
  • Alberto Montina -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum foundations)
  • Michele Mosca
    Michele Mosca
    Michele Mosca is co-founder and deputy director of the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, researcher and founding member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and professor of mathematics in the department of at the University of Waterloo...

     -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information)
  • Markus Mueller -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum foundations/quantum information)
  • Robert Myers -- Faculty Member (superstring theory)
  • Ashwin Nayak -- Associate Faculty Member (quantum information)
  • Joao Penedones -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Malcolm Perry
    Malcolm Perry (physicist)
    Malcolm John Perry, is a theoretical physicist. Perry is a professor of theoretical physics at the University of Cambridge. His research mainly concerns general relativity, supergravity and string theory....

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Federico Piazza -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Sandu Popescu -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Piero G L Porta Mana -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum foundations)
  • Maxim Pospelov -- Associate Faculty (particle physics)
  • Josef Pradler -- Postdoctoral Researcher (particle physics)
  • David Rideout -- Postdoctoral Researcher (quantum foundations)
  • Subir Sachdev
    Subir Sachdev
    Subir Sachdev is a Professor of Physics at Harvard University specializing in condensed matter. He is known for his research on quantum phase transitions, and for a textbook on the subject...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Natalia Saulina -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Ashoke Sen
    Ashoke Sen
    Ashoke Sen , FRS, is an Indian theoretical physicist. He has made a number of major original contributions to the subject of string theory, including his landmark paper on strong-weak coupling duality or S-duality, which was influential in changing the course of research in the field...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Amit Sever -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Philip Schuster- Faculty Member (particle physics)
  • Sarah Shandera -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Yanwen Shang -- Postdoctoral Researcher (particle physics)
  • Parampreet Singh -- Distinguished Research Fellow (cosmology and gravitation)
  • Aninda Sinha -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • David Skinner -- Postdoctoral Researcher (superstring theory)
  • Lee Smolin
    Lee Smolin
    Lee Smolin is an American theoretical physicist, a researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and an adjunct professor of physics at the University of Waterloo. He is married to Dina Graser, a communications lawyer in Toronto. His brother is David M...

     -- Faculty Member (quantum gravity); founding figure in loop quantum gravity
  • Misha Smolkin -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation/ superstring theory)
  • Rafael Sorkin
    Rafael Sorkin
    Rafael Dolnick Sorkin is an American physicist. He is professor emeritus of physics at Syracuse University and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and a Fellow of the American Physical Society...

     -- Senior Researcher (quantum foundations)
  • Robert Spekkens -- Faculty Member (quantum foundations)
  • Leonard Susskind
    Leonard Susskind
    Leonard Susskind is the Felix Bloch Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stanford University. His research interests include string theory, quantum field theory, quantum statistical mechanics and quantum cosmology...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair; Sakurai Prize
    Sakurai Prize
    The J. J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics, is presented by the American Physical Society at its annual "April Meeting", and honors outstanding achievement in particle physics theory...

     (1998); founding figure in string theory
  • Thomas Thiemann -- Associate Faculty (quantum gravity)
  • Natalia Toro -- Faculty Member (particle physics)
  • Michael Trott -- Postdoctoral Researcher (particle physics)
  • Neil Turok
    Neil Turok
    Neil Geoffrey Turok is the Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is the son of Mary and Ben Turok, activists in the anti-apartheid movement and the African National Congress.-Career:...

     -- Executive Director (cosmology and gravitation); Maxwell Medal and Prize (1992)
  • Bill Unruh
    Bill Unruh
    William George Unruh is a Canadian physicist at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, who discovered the Unruh effect. Unruh was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He obtained his B.Sc. from the University of Manitoba in 1967, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D...

     -- Distinguished Research Chair
  • Guifré Vidal
    Guifré Vidal
    Guifré Vidal is a Spanish physicist who is working on quantum many-body physics using analytical and numerical techniques. In particular, he is one of the leading experts of tensor network state implementations such as time-evolving block decimation and multiscale entanglement renormalization...

     -- Faculty member (condensed matter)
  • Pedro Vieira -- Faculty Member (superstring theory)
  • Xiao-Gang Wen -- BMO Newton Chair
  • Mark Wise -- Distinguished Research Chair; Sakurai Prize (2001)
  • Tom Zlosnik -- Postdoctoral Researcher (cosmology and gravitation)

Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC)

The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is an integral oversight body, deliberately created to assist the Board of Directors in ensuring objectivity and a high standard of scientific excellence. The SAC advises on matters of scientific policy, appointments and renewal of scientific staff, performance reviews of the scientific staff, outreach initiatives and general structural concerns. The SAC meets on an annual basis. It is composed of eminent scientists drawn from the international community.

SAC Members
  • Gerard Milburn, Chair
  • Abhay Ashtekar
    Abhay Ashtekar
    Abhay Vasant Ashtekar is an Indian theoretical physicist. He is the Eberly Professor of Physics and the Director of the Institute for Gravitational Physics and Geometry at Pennsylvania State University. As the creator of Ashtekar variables, he is one of the founders of loop quantum gravity and its...

  • Sir Michael Berry
  • Matthew Fisher
  • Brian Greene
    Brian Greene
    Brian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds...

  • Gerard 't Hooft
  • Igor Klebanov
    Igor Klebanov
    Igor R. Klebanov is a theoretical physicist whose research is centered on relations between string theory and quantum gauge field theory. Since 1989, he has been a Professor at Princeton University....

  • Renate Loll
    Renate Loll
    Renate Loll is a physicist who works at the , The Netherlands. She received her Ph.D. from , London, in 1989. In 2001 she joined the permanent staff of the ITP, after spending several years at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Golm, Germany...

  • Michael Peskin
    Michael Peskin
    Michael Peskin is an American theoretical physicist. He was an undergraduate at Harvard University and obtained his Ph.D. in 1978 at Cornell University studying under Kenneth Wilson. He was a Junior Fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows from 1977–1980.He is currently a professor in the theory...

  • John Preskill
    John Preskill
    John Phillip Preskill is an American theoretical physicist and the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology ....

  • David Spergel
    David Spergel
    David Nathaniel Spergel , is an American theoretical astrophysicist and Princeton University professor known for his work on the WMAP mission. Professor Spergel is a MacArthur Fellow. He has served as the chair of the Astrophysics Subcommittee of the NASA Advisory Council and was once the W.M...

  • Erik Verlinde
    Erik Verlinde
    Erik Peter Verlinde is a Dutch theoretical physicist and string theorist. He is the identical twin brother of physicist Herman Verlinde. The Verlinde formula, which is important in conformal field theory and topological field theory, is named after him. His research deals with string theory,...

  • Birgitta Whaley


Past SAC Members
  • Ian Affleck (2001 - 2004)
  • Artur Ekert
    Artur Ekert
    Artur Ekert is a Professor of Quantum Physics at the Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, and a Lee Kong Chian Centennial Professor at the National University of Singapore and also the Director of CQT...

     (2001 - 2008)
  • James Hartle
    James Hartle
    James Burkett Hartle is an American physicist. He has been a professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara since 1966, and he is currently a member of the external faculty of the Santa Fe Institute...

     (2001 - 2003)
  • Chris Isham (2001-2005), former Chair
  • Cecilia Jarlskog (2001 - 2006)
  • Sir Anthony Leggett (2004 - 2008)
  • Sir Roger Penrose
    Roger Penrose
    Sir 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...

     (2001-2007)
  • Joe Polchinski (2001 - 2004)
  • Jorge Pullin
    Jorge Pullin
    Jorge Pullin is the Horace Hearne Chair in theoretical Physics at the Louisiana State University, known for his work on black hole collisions and quantum gravity.-Biography:...

     (2003-2007)
  • Paul Steinhardt
    Paul Steinhardt
    Paul 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...

     (2003-2007), former Chair
  • Scott Tremaine
    Scott Tremaine
    Scott Duncan Tremaine is a Canadian-born astrophysicist. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of London, the Royal Society of Canada and the National Academy of Sciences. Tremaine is widely regarded as one of the world's leading astrophysicists for his contributions to the theory of solar system...

     (2001-2006), former Chair
  • Neil Turok
    Neil Turok
    Neil Geoffrey Turok is the Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He is the son of Mary and Ben Turok, activists in the anti-apartheid movement and the African National Congress.-Career:...

     (2008)
  • Frank Wilczek
    Frank Wilczek
    Frank 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 ....

     (2003-2007)

Board of Directors

Perimeter Institute is an independent not-for-profit corporation governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Board approves and monitors strategic plans and is the final authority on all matters of substance related to the general structure and development of the Institute

Directors
  • Mike Lazaridis
    Mike Lazaridis
    Mihalis "Mike" Lazaridis , OC, O.Ont is a Greek Canadian businessman. He is the founder and co-CEO of Research In Motion , which created and manufactures the BlackBerry wireless handheld device. He is also a former chancellor of the University of Waterloo, and an Officer of the Order of Canada...

    , Chair
  • Cosimo Fiorenza, Vice-Chair
  • Donald Campbell
  • Peter Godsoe
  • Kevin G. Lynch
    Kevin G. Lynch
    Kevin G. Lynch, is a Canadian economist and former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, Canada's most senior civil servant....

  • Steven MacLean (astronaut)
    Steven MacLean (astronaut)
    Steven Glenwood MacLean is a Canadian astronaut. He is the current President of the Canadian Space Agency, appointed on September 1, 2008....

  • John Reid


Founding Directors Emeriti
  • Ken Cork
  • George Leibbrandt
  • Lynn Watt
  • Douglas Wright


Past Director Emiritus
  • Robin Korthals

External links

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