(Santa Barbara, Calif.) - UC Santa Barbara physics professor and permanent member of the university’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) Joseph Polchinski is one of several laureates for the Milner Foundation's 2014 Physics Frontiers Prize. According to the organization, this prize recognizes “transformative achievements in the field of fundamental physics and aim(s) to provide recipients with more freedom and opportunity to pursue future accomplishments.” This is Polchinski’s second win in two years.
"It's an honor and a surprise to receive this for a second time, especially because the selectors are some of the leading physicists in the world,” said Polchinski. “This award certainly would not have happened without the stimulating environment at UCSB and the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. I’d like to acknowledge all my colleagues, but especially my collaborator Don Marolf, who has helped generate some recent excitement.”
Polchinski was nominated for his contributions to quantum field theory and string theory. His discovery of D-branes — a type of membrane in string theory — has led to advances in the understanding of string theory and quantum gravity.