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Host: Prof. Xiangdong Ji (季向东)
Abstract:
The arc of this talk follows the theoretical and experimental introduction of parity violation to its importance in the foundation of four dimensional heterotic string theory.
Bio:
Jim Gates (Ph.D., MIT, 1977, Honorary Ph.D. from Harvard, 2024) is a distinguished theoretical physicist celebrated for his pioneering contributions to supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory. He currently works at the intersection of physics and mathematics at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he holds the positions of Clark Leadership Chair in Science, Distinguished University Professor, and John S. Toll Professor of Physics. He also has a joint appointment as Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Policy.
Dr. Gates has won Edward A. Bouchet Award (1994), Klopsteg Memorial Award (2003) and Andrew Gemant Award (2021), and Barry Prize (2025). Among his many accolades, Professor Gates was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Barack Obama in 2013, the highest scientific honor in the United States. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences—the first African American theoretical physicist elected to the Academy in its 150-year history—as well as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. He is also a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society and American Physical Society -- a dual recognition given to less then one percent of U.S. researchers.
Beyond his research, Gates is a dedicated public servant and advocate for science education. He has served on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and the Maryland State Board of Education. He is a past President of the American Physical Society (APS) and a Fellow of numerous organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Society of Black Physicists.