Dick Slansky

Richard C. Slansky was a prominent American theoretical physicist. Slansky earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and completed his Ph.D. under the guidance of Elliot Leader at the University of California, Berkeley. As a post-doctoral researcher, he spent time at Caltech and later at Yale University for five years before becoming a part of the newly established theory group for particle physics at Los Alamos National Laboratory in 1974, led by Peter A. Carruthers. In 1989, he assumed the role of the head of the theory group. Concurrently, he held the position of adjunct professor at the University of California, Irvine.

Slansky’s research primarily revolved around Grand Unified Theories (GUTs). His influential monograph titled “Group Theory for Unified Model Building” was highly regarded and widely referenced by GUT theorists. His work, which focused on the application of group theory to GUTs, encompassed 85 scientific papers, and he also served as an editor for the journal Physics Reports. In 1983, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Santa Fe Institute.

Slansky was a fellow of both the American Physical Society (1987) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He served in numerous roles on the board of Aspen Center for Physics, as Scientific Secretary from 1982 – 1983, Trustee from 1982 – 1988, General Member from 1982 – 1988 & 1990 – 1998, and Honorary Member from 1993 – 1998.