2023 Medal Winners | francais

The 2023 CAP Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics

is awarded to

Robert Myers

"I’ve been lucky in my career to be able to follow my passion exploring fundamental physics and to work with great colleagues, postdocs and students. I’ve been doubly lucky to have the opportunity to help build the Perimeter Institute. I am honoured to be recognized by the CAP in this manner." winner quote

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) is pleased to announce that the 2023 CAP Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Physics is awarded to Robert Myers, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, in recognition of his ground-breaking research in quantum field theory and quantum gravity, and his central role in the founding of the Perimeter Institute. announcement

Robert Myers is a pioneering theoretical physicist who has made extraordinarily broad and deep contributions to theoretical physics. He is among the most highly cited physicists in Canada, whose 212 papers have attracted over 33,000 citations. He has been named among the “world’s most influential scientists” many times.

Myers has made groundbreaking contributions to a range of areas in foundational physics, largely centered on the quest to unify quantum theory and Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Some of his discoveries, such as the “Myers effect” and linear dilaton cosmology, are now textbook material. His early work pioneered the study of black hole solutions to Einstein’s equations in higher dimensions, and he later made important contributions to our understanding of black hole microphysics.

He has also advanced our understanding of the AdS/CFT correspondence, a relation between quantum field theory and higher-dimensional gravity. Informed by this correspondence, Myers has applied “holographic” methods to better understand quantum chromodynamics, the theory of the strong nuclear force. Further, he produced the first rigorous derivation of holographic entanglement entropy and a new understanding of c-theorems in quantum field theory. His work in this area helped launch a flourishing international research program using techniques from quantum information science to study quantum gravity, and he remains a leader in this area.

Myers has also strengthened physics in Canada. As a founding member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, he played a key role over two decades in building the Institute into a world-leading centre of research, training, and outreach; it has become an internationally-recognized centre of excellence. Myers has served as the Institute’s Scientific Director (2007-08), its Faculty Chair (2011-18) and has been the Institute’s Director since 2019. nominator citation

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