2010 Medal Winners | francais

The 2010 CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics

is awarded to

Clifford Burgess

"I am still taking it in, but it is very gratifying to receive this kind recognition from one's peers. I am grateful to both the CAP and the CRM for their efforts to shine a spotlight in this way on the efforts of physicists in Canada toiling away in the theoretical trenches." winner citation

The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) and the Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM) are pleased to announce that the 2010 CAP-CRM Prize in Theoretical and Mathematical Physics is awarded to Clifford Burgess, McMaster University/Perimeter Institute, in recognition of for his prolific and influential work in theoretical physics, which covers many different topics ranging from condensed matter theory to particle physics and string theory. Professor Burgess made seminal contributions in all these fields, but his most widely recognized contributions are in the areas of string and brane cosmology, where he developed interesting and pathbreaking ideas about how strings or branes can generate inflation in the early universe. announcement

Clifford Burgess is a theoretical physicist who has made an impact over an unusually broad range of fields during his twenty years of research in Canada. His contributions span superstring theory, early universe cosmology, particle phenomenology, astrophysics and condensed matter physics. His pioneering work in constructing new models of cosmological inflation based on string theory opened new areas of research. His ongoing research in this area has brought string theory to a stage where models of the early universe are regularly tested against the precision data of new cosmological experiments. Burgess has also made innovative contributions in neutrino physics, double beta decay and precision accelerator measurements. His diverse research program extends to astrophysics and condensed matter physics, where he has also made significant contributions. Burgess is a renowned expert in the applications of effective field theory and has written a number of authoritative reviews on the topic. He has also co-authored a graduate textbook particle physics. With over 120 published research articles, he is one of Canada’s most prolific and highly cited particle theorists. His research consistently demonstrates a very high quality and remarkable creativity and with this, Burgess has attained an outstanding international profile in the theoretical physics community. nominator citation

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