Cumrun Vafa is a theoretical physicist who received his BS in Math and Physics from MIT in 1981 and his PhD in Physics from Princeton University in 1985 under the direction of Edward Witten. After completing his studies, he joined the faculty at Harvard University, where he has been teaching ever since. In 2018, he was appointed Harvard’s Hollis Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy.
Vafa’s primary area of research is string theory, which is at the forefront of efforts by theoretical physicists to find a unified fundamental theory of nature in a consistent quantum theory. The study of string theory involves investigating the mysteries of confinement of quarks inside atomic nuclei and exploring the enigmatic properties of astrophysical objects such as black holes. As a result, string theory is at the crossroads of many fields, including mathematics, particle phenomenology, and astrophysics. Vafa’s research has involved all these aspects, and he has made significant contributions to the field of string theory. One of Vafa’s most notable contributions is his work on the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, which describes the amount of entropy that a black hole can have. He has also worked on topological strings, which aim to elucidate new mathematics originating from string theory and use these techniques to uncover the mysteries of black holes. In addition to his research, Vafa has authored over 300 research articles in the fields of string theory, mathematics, and physics.
Vafa’s groundbreaking contributions to string theory have earned him many accolades throughout his career. He is a member of both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences and has received a number of awards and recognitions for his work, including the Dirac Medal of ICTP, the AMS Leonard Eisenbud Prize for Math and Physics, the APS Dannie Heineman Prize in Mathematical Physics, and the 2017 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. His research and teaching continue to have a profound impact on the field of theoretical physics.
Vinod Menon is a Professor of Physics at The City College of New York (CCNY) and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). He directs the Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics (LaNMP), where his group investigates light–matter interactions at the micro- and nanoscale, including exciton-polaritons, quantum photonic devices, and two-dimensional materials. Menon received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and has published widely in peer-reviewed journals. He is recognized for his contributions to photonics research and is active in training graduate and undergraduate students in the field.
Stephen Wolfram is the creator of Mathematica, Wolfram|Alpha and the Wolfram Language; the originator of the Wolfram Physics Project; and the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research. Over the course of more than four decades, he has been a pioneer in the development and application of computational thinking—and has been responsible for many discoveries, inventions and innovations in science, technology and business. Wolfram has been involved with education for many years, founding the Wolfram Summer School in 2003, and in 2015 publishing An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language to introduce young students and others to modern computational thinking. In 2020, building on ideas developed over the course of nearly thirty years, Wolfram announced breakthroughs in finding a fundamental theory of physics, and launched the Wolfram Physics Project to stimulate broad involvement in this ambitious and historic project. Wolfram has been president and CEO of Wolfram Research since its founding in 1987. In addition to his corporate leadership, Wolfram is deeply involved in the development of the company’s technology, personally overseeing the functional design of the company’s core products on a daily basis, and constantly introducing new ideas and directions. His most recent and notable books include A Project to Find the Fundamental Theory of Physics, Adventurers of a Computational Explorer, A New Kind of Science, and Idea Makers: Personal Perspectives on the Lives & Ideas of Some Notable People.
Cristina Maria Alberini is a neuroscientist who studies the biological mechanisms of long-term memory. She is a Professor in Neuroscience at the Center for Neural Science in New York University, and adjunct professor at the Departments of Neuroscience, Psychiatry, and Structural and Chemical Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Her research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the stabilization, storage, and consolidation of long-term memories. Another part of her research involved the study of memory retrieval and reconsolidation.
In 2017 she was elected to the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and awarded the Lombardy Region Rosa Camuna Award in 2019. In 2022 she was appointed as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, where he also serves as the director of Columbia’s Center for Theoretical Physics. Greene is recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in his field of superstring theory, including the co-discovery of mirror symmetry and the discovery of spatial topology change. His books—The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality—have collectively spent over 67 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and were the basis of two award-winning NOVA mini-series, which he hosted. In 2008, Greene co-founded the World Science Festival, where he serves as Chairman of the Board. His latest book, Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe, was released in 2020.
