Stephen L. Adler

Stephen L. Adler is a Professor Emeritus of Particle Physics at the School of Natural Sciences of the Institute for Advanced Studies, where he became a faculty member in 1969. He received his A.B. from Harvard in 1961, and his Ph.D. from Princeton in 1964.

Research: In a series of remarkable, difficult calculations, Adler demonstrated that abstract ideas about the symmetries of fundamental interactions could be made to yield concrete predictions. The successful verification of these predictions was a vital step toward the modern Standard Model of particle physics. In more recent work, he has been exploring generalized forms of quantum mechanics, both from a theoretical and a phenomenological standpoint. He has developed new algorithms for multidimensional integration, and is currently exploring a novel proposal for the “dark energy” that drives the accelerated expansion of the universe. He is also studying horizonless “gravastars” as alternatives to mathematical black holes at the center of galaxies.

Awards/Honors: In 1988, Adler won the J.J. Sakurai Prize from the American Physical Society. In 1998, he won the Dirac Prize and Medal of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics. He has served as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as of the National Academy of Sciences, and has served as a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Physical Society.