Mathematical Physics
Because mathematics provides the common reference point for all of physics, the UCSB Department of Physics has had a long-standing goal of building a deeper and stronger connection with the Department of Mathematics here at UCSB. Towards this end, the Math and Physics Departments bridged the gap between the disciplines of pure mathematics and theoretical physics by welcoming two of the world’s leading mathematical physicists, David Morrison and Sergei Gukov, as joint professors.
Sergei Gukov holds a joint position with the Departments of Mathematics and Physics. He received his PhD in physics from Princeton University in 2001. His current research lies at the interface between mathematics and string theory, and his appointment will provide a strong and beneficial bridge between the two departments. He has already made several seminal research contributions in M-theory, matrix models, supersymmetric gauge theory, topological strings and knot theory, among other areas. His career is also highlighted by numerous awards and honors, including the John Hertz Merit Fellowship, the I. Ya. Pomeranchuk Award for Young Scientists, and the highly competitive Clay Mathematics Institute Long-Term Prize Fellowship, which he currently holds.
On February 20, 2007, Gukov was awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship in Science and Technology. These awards are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified fields of science.
David Morrison also holds a joint position with Mathematics and Physics. He received his PhD at Harvard University in 1980, and comes to UCSB from Duke University where he was the James B. Duke Professor of Mathematics and Physics. He is an unusually gifted and successful mathematician with interests in algebraic geometry. He has extended his mathematical work to theoretical physics, specifically string theory. Professor Morrison is already celebrated for his work, and his recent honors include a Clay Scholarship and a Guggenheim Scholarship. He has served in numerous professional and university service capacities including the executive Committee of the Council of the American Mathematical Society, and the Advisory Council of Princeton University’s Mathematics Department.