Edward Witten

Edward Witten
Edward Witten
	Witten in 2008
Born	August 26, 1951; Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Education	Brandeis University (BA); Princeton University (MA, PhD);
Known for	M-theory; Seiberg–Witten theory; Seiberg–Witten invariants; Seiberg–Witten moduli space; Seiberg–Witten flow; Seiberg–Witten map; Wess–Zumino–Witten model; Weinberg–Witten theorem; Gromov–Witten invariant; Hořava–Witten domain wall; Vafa–Witten theorem; Witten index; BCFW recursion; Topological quantum field theory (Witten-type TQFTs); Topological string theory; Topological twist; CSW rules; Witten conjecture; Witten zeta function; Hanany–Witten transition; Twistor string theory; Chern–Simons theory; Positive energy theorem; Witten–Veneziano mechanism; Bubble of nothing;
Spouse	Chiara Nappi
Children	3, including Ilana B. and Daniela
Father	Louis Witten
Relatives	Matt Witten (brother); Benjamin Witten (uncle);
Awards	MacArthur Fellowship (1982); Albert Einstein Medal (1985); ICTP Dirac Medal (1985); Alan T. Waterman Award (1986); Fields Medal (1990); Dannie Heineman Prize (1998); Nemmers Prize (2000); National Medal of Science (2002); Harvey Prize (2005); Henri Poincaré Prize (2006); Crafoord Prize (2008); Lorentz Medal (2010); Isaac Newton Medal (2010); Breakthrough Prize in; Fundamental Physics (2012); Kyoto Prize (2014); Albert Einstein Award (2016);
	Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical physics; Mathematical physics; Superstring theory;
Institutions	Institute for Advanced Study; Harvard University; Oxford University; California Institute of Technology; Princeton University;
Thesis	Some Problems in the Short Distance Analysis of Gauge Theories (1976)
Doctoral advisor	David Gross; Michael Atiyah;
Other academic advisors	Sidney Coleman
Doctoral students	Jonathan Bagger (1983); Cumrun Vafa (1985); Xiao-Gang Wen (1987); Dror Bar-Natan (1991); Shamit Kachru (1994); Eva Silverstein (1996); Sergei Gukov (2001);
Website	ias.edu/sns/witten

Edward Witten (born August 26, 1951) is an American theoretical physicist known for his contributions to string theory, topological quantum field theory, and various areas of mathematics. He is a professor emeritus in the school of natural sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Witten is a researcher in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum field theories, and other areas of mathematical physics. Witten's work has also significantly impacted pure mathematics. In 1990, he became the first physicist to be awarded a Fields Medal by the International Mathematical Union, for his mathematical insights in physics, such as his 1981 proof of the positive energy theorem in general relativity, and his interpretation of the Jones invariants of knots as Feynman integrals. He is considered the practical founder of M-theory.